Speaker must reconvene Parliament urgently

14 July 2021

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Natasha Mazzone MP.

Given the spreading unrest, looting and destruction in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the DA urges the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, to act as a matter of urgency after she acknowledged receipt of our letter requesting that Parliament reconvene immediately.

The whole of South Africa needs to see its public representatives work together to stabilise the situation and quell the destruction to people’s lives and livelihoods. South Africans have witnessed the wave of carnage on every imaginable platform and while people lost their lives and businesses were stripped bare and burnt down, the ANC government has been missing in action.

Apart from the President’s ineffective speech calling for the looting to be stopped and the Ministers of Police, Defense and Military Veterans, and State Security’s press conference which showed just how out of touch they truly are with the situation on the ground, government does not seem to have a plan to end the chaos.

Despite Police Minister Cele’s assurances that the South African Police Service (SAPS) have the situation in hand, images streamed to every corner of the globe showed police officials unable to protect businesses, stop the looting or restore calm and order.

And through all this, the top tiers of government have been all too quiet.

Large parts of KwaZulu-Natal remain ungovernable at the moment, and already there are serious concerns with supply chain management which will impact everything from food security to fuel shortages to delivery and availability of vital medical supplies, not only in that province, but in large parts of South Africa.

Parliament needs to reconvene urgently so that the Agriculture, Police, State Security, Transport, and Trade and Industry portfolios can meet to find and implement viable solutions to ensure that the country does not descend into further anarchy.

If ever there was a time for leaders to come together for the good of our people, it is now. South Africa cannot afford a third pandemic, after the devastation of Covid-19 and corruption have left on our people and economy. We need Parliament’s intervention to stop this runaway train while we still can.

Issued by Natasha Mazzone, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 14 July 2021