Allan Boesak said that we must run this campaign according to the facts. Let's make a few facts about Allan Boesak clear.
When voters put politicians in power, they must be able to trust them. Without trust, democracy goes bust. That is why Jacob Zuma cannot be President of this country. We cannot trust Zuma to act in the country's best interests when, as Head of State, he may abuse his power to get off on the corruption charges he faces. And we know he will, because he stands right in the middle of a closed, boetie-boetie circle, based on mutually reinforcing interests. That always leads to power abuse, and more corruption.
For the same reason, we cannot trust Allan Boesak, COPE's Premier candidate in the Western Cape, to act in the best interests of this province. He has betrayed people's trust in the past: he stole from the poor to make himself rich. And he isn't even sorry for what he did. He says he would do it again!
Boesak is only interested in making himself richer, and we know what happens when people like that are put in charge: poor people become poorer!
In 1999, Boesak was found guilty of fraud and theft, and sentenced to six years in prison for stealing foreign donor funds that were meant for children who were victims of apartheid.
Boesak was entrusted with a huge responsibility - administering funds to improve the lives of young boys and girls who had suffered under apartheid - and he abused that trust.
Instead of spending the money on the children, he spent over R400 000 on his lifestyle of luxury.
He put R140 000 towards a fancy house in Vredehoek.
He used R120 000 to buy another larney house in Constantia.
He spent over R30 000 on a trip to Disney Land.
And his wife took over R7 000 and spent it on clothes and jewellery.
Is Boesak sorry about what he did? No! He has shown no remorse. He told the press that he would "do it all again". Instead of judging himself and taking the blame, he judged the judges and blamed them. He said: "Judges are just human...they are all sinful human beings like the rest of us...They are led by their prejudices...".
Boesak stole money from the people, and now COPE believes he is the best person to control the Western Cape's R30 billion budget. That is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Boesak's jail sentence was reduced to two years on appeal, but he only served half of that because he was released on parole after a year. Later, his friend, Thabo Mbeki, gave him a presidential pardon.
Does this sound familiar? This week, Jacob Zuma's former financial advisor, Schabir Shaik, was released on medical parole after serving just over two years of his 15 year sentence. He spent most of that time in hospital, receiving preferential treatment. Even the hospital food wasn't good enough for him: he broke the rules and ate either Debonairs or Steers meals delivered by his wife or brother.
We believe that Shaik was paroled because he is Zuma's friend. Boesak was paroled because he is Mbeki's friend. It's a case of "parole for pals". Boesak was pardoned because he is Mbeki's friend. It was a case of "pardons for pals". The reasons for Boesak's pardon were never made public, just like the reasons for Shaik's parole have not been revealed. And just watch: Shaik will be pardoned too. Zuma has already hinted that, should he become President, he will give his friend a presidential pardon.
It doesn't matter who's in charge, the ruling clique in the closed circle does "favours for friends". Mbeki did a favour for Boesak; Zuma did a favour for Shaik. It's just that when Zuma replaced Mbeki, Boesak found himself outside the circle. He doesn't have quite the same bargaining power with Zuma that he did with Mbeki. So when the ANC asked Boesak to be its Premier candidate in the Western Cape - and he demanded an ambassadorship and public apology from the ANC over his prison sentence instead - the ANC told him to go and jump.
Boesak is only in politics for himself and his own enrichment. He only agreed to stand for COPE after the ANC told him: "Vat jou goed en trek!" Boesak is an ANC reject. That doesn't mean the ANC suddenly rediscovered its moral compass. No, it's still wandering off course. That is why it decided to put another convicted fraudster, Winnie Mandela, on its list for Parliament.
COPE must be careful that it doesn't lose its moral compass, like the ANC has, because if you lose your moral compass, then you become part of the closed, crony society.
Your vote is your power. You have the power to choose whether you want a convicted fraudster as your Premier. You have the power to choose whether you want as your President an accused in an ongoing corruption trial. So exercise your power carefully and wisely. Vote DA and vote to win!
This is an extract from a speech by Democratic Alliance leader, Helen Zille, at Walvis Hall, Hartenbos, March 7 2009
