MP's 'not pleased' with state of Eastern Cape schools

In this article, discussed are members of parliament who had hoped to see an improvement at schools identified for repair back in 2016 were instead met with the reality of service delivery failure. It is said a delegation of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is currently on the ground in the Eastern Cape.

They've described themselves as "not pleased" with what they are seeing. The leader of the NCOP delegation in Mdantsane, Lungelwa Zwane said that some projects are still in the same unpleasant state they were in, in 2016, during Taking Parliament to the People programme in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. The delegation was tasked with checking progress made on service delivery challenges that were identified at schools in the area. After receiving a full briefing from the Eastern Cape Department of Education on what has been done‚ the delegation visited the schools.

Zwane also said they were left disappointed as they noted contradictory responses between what is reported and the reality on the ground. Both Ulwazi and Wongalethu High Schools had similar challenges of dilapidated infrastructure and inadequate Learning Teaching Support Material. The same problems were identified in 2016. Zwane's team said in a statement she "displayed her displeasure that the department sent junior officials who had no authority to make commitments on behalf of the department". "The delegation derived no happiness to see how learners were still crammed in dilapidated classrooms‚" they said. Although the delegation acknowledged progress made at Hlokoma High School in NU1 and Vukuhambe Special School in NU9‚ officials from the department were reprimanded for dragging their feet in implementing some projects. “The progress made shows that while today is bit better than yesterday‚ tomorrow can be even much better. However‚ there are still some outstanding issues and we will continue working towards ensuring that service delivery promises made to our people are implemented by all stakeholders concerned‚” said Zwane.

I think the NCOP's Taking Parliament to the People  programme is a great programme to have been established. It should enhance public education and pubic participation as it was designed for that. However, it seems the delegation is not delivering services as it should thus its not effective nor efficient. I'm glad that at least one of the delegation member does point out the mistakes done here. hopefully, they will stop dragging their feet in implementing some projects and  bring change.

Title: MP's 'not pleased' with state of  Eastern Cape schools.

Source: Times Live

Link: http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-03-15-when-mps-encounter-empty-promises/

 

DA: Gigaba Must Go

By Derrick Spies


This article is about the Democratic Alliance that has called for the axing of Minister Malusi Gigaba, who was recently moved from Minister of Finance back to Home Affairs, after the Constitutional Court refused to hear an appeal to overturn damning findings against him.

The DA Chief Whip, John Steenhuisen, said that the Constitutional Court has refused to hear Gigaba’s appeal to set aside a judgment by a full Bench of the North Gauteng High Court, which had found that Gigaba had lied under oath when he testified during his former tenure as home affairs minister.
Fireblade Aviation, which is controlled by the Oppenheimer family, had sought a declaratory order to compel Gigaba to abide by a decision he had taken to allow the company to run a customs and immigration service at a privately-owned airport operation.

It is said that at the time, it was alleged that Gigaba had revoked the approval he initially granted following pressure from the Gupta family.
The court found that Gigaba "deliberately told untruths under oath” and had committed a breach of the Constitution so serious, it could be characterised as a violation.

Steenhuisen said that the Constitutional Court’s dismissal of Gigaba's appeal meant that the High Court’s findings stood. Moreover, that Gigaba was deeply compromised and could not be trusted to carry out his constitutional mandate to serve the people of South Africa.
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He also said the DA had also lodged a formal complaint with the Public Protector requesting that she investigate Gigaba for lying under oath and violating the Constitution.
“It is now up to President Cyril Ramaphosa to walk the talk and take steps to remove Minister Gigaba as a matter of urgency,” he said.

I fully support the Democratic Alliance on this one, ,Mr Gigaba needs to be excused from the cabinet. He needs to first clear his name from all the allegations against him. Mr Ramaphosa needs to do the right thing for the South African public and remove Gigaba from his cabinet.

Title: DA: Gigaba must go

Source: News24

Link:  https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/da-gigaba-must-go-20180310

Fikile Mbalula Resigns As ANC MP

by Tshidi Madia


Discussed on this article is Johannesburg - Former police minister Fikile Mbalula who is said to be the latest ANC Member of Parliament to step down.

It is said that Last week, former minister of public enterprises Lynne Browne resigned. This followed a late-night Cabinet reshuffle announcement from President Cyril Ramaphosa which resulted in the two - along with several others - being booted out of the national executive.

Mbalula has since taken up a full-time post at the ANC's headquarters as chair of the party's subcommittee on elections. He has started getting the governing party ready for the 2019 general elections by holding an election workshop last week.
Jackson Mthembu's spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli said in a statement that, the office of the ANC chief whip confirms that former minister of police, comrade Fikile Mbalula tendered his resignation as an ANC Member of Parliament in the National Assembly.

Mhlauli also added that Mbalula tendered his resignation on February 26."While comrade Mbalula's departure from Parliament will leave a void, we derive satisfaction from the knowledge that he will continue serving the movement as the ANC's head of elections toward the 2019 General Elections campaign," said Mhlauli.

I personally think, it is in the best interest of the country that Mr Fikile Mbalula is no longer the country's minister of police. For me, he was not dignified enough to be a leader and there are several other reasons . I think he is better suited by the position he is in right now, which is being the ANC's head of elections toward the 2019 General Elections campaign. I hope he'll do well as the ANC success in the 2019 elections depends on him.

Tittle: Fikile Mbalula resigns as ANC MP

Source News24

Link: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/fikile-mbalula-resigns-as-anc-mp-20180309






 

Parties demand answers after Gigaba's Gupta gaffe.

by Matthew Savides



In this article, the Democratic Alliance is said to demands answers following claims made by home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba that the Guptas  are not South African citizen.

Gigaba and director general  of home affairs Mkhuseli Apleni provided feedback at a meeting briefing following meetings they both had with the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs to answer questions over the Gupta's naturalisation. At the briefing, Gigaba said Atul was not South African citizen-but a copy of Atul's passport ,which was among the  tranchee of #GuptaLeaks email, lists Atul as "South African" under the "Nationality" section. Non-citizens cannot apply for passports.
It is said that Atul's  passport was issued on July 31, 2015. Gigaba was home affairs minister between May 2014 and March 2017. In the wake of this, as well as other concerns, DA shadow minister of home affairs Haniff Hoosen, has demanded answers.

Haniff Hoosen said that the briefing by Gigaba has only inspired more confusion and the matter is now as clear as mud. He said Gigaba will be back in the Portfolio Committee on home affairs and he must answer to whether he or the IEC has mislead the Parliament and the people of SA. Hoosen furthermore said, if you enter the ID number allegedly belonging to Atul Gupta on the IEC website, it confirms that the person is registered as a voter at the Saxonworld primary school.

" Gigaba must own up and clarify if there are any of Guptas that have South African passports, ID numbers and if the Gupta's voted in any national or municipal elections." said Hoosen

The EFF also took aim at Gigaba, with deputy president Floyd Shivambu saying on Twitter that minister was a "pathological liar" who was " surrounded by conmen and imposters who deliberately mislead South Africans."

I personally think that Mr Gigaba is not telling the truth here, there is blunt evidence that the Guptas are indeed South African citizen. They have South African passports,  ID numbers and are even registered to vote. South Africans deserve to know exactly what is going on and how it is that passports and ID numbers were issued and members of the family at the heart of state capture, which has seen billions which should have been spent on improving the lives of South Africans. He truly has to own up as there's noting more he could do, his exposed already.

Tittle: Parties demand answers after Gigaba's Gupta gaffe.

Source: Times Live

Link: https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-03-07-parties-demand-answers-after-gigabas-gupta-gaffe/

Dear Mr Ramaphosa, allow me to express my anger

This is an article written by a taxpayer in South Africa. He is furious about the increased tax and describes his anger as an anger that is hard to explain, that it is not one of those hot angers that go away in a flash , but an anger that is like a hot bed of coal, burning without a flame, waiting to consume any piece of fuel that may come close.

He says, for decades citizen have had to watch as the South African government has taken their tax and squandered it on the bridges that collapse, fraudulent tenders and it all culminating in our late president who has sold our nation to various friends and relatives. All these activities have been paid by them, the citizen on this nation. He believes it was not only paid for with  their tax money, but  with their hopes, dreams and in many cases, lives.

He complains that they have had to endure paying for services which are always delivered in a fraudulent, inefficient manner, or  not even delivered at all. He also feels that the government doesn't care as after paying well over a decade for misconduct of our government , Mr Gigaba explained that he was expected to pay even more and that this somehow gives them hope, he says, he was not filled with hope but anger as he looked at the husk of his small company and the words that came out of Mr Gigaba's mouth.

He wishes Mr President would have gone before the nation on his knees and apologised on behalf of the government for years of people being forced to pay for the government's misdeeds and now having to pay even more.

I truly understand the anger of the author, it is disturbing and saddening that citizen pay large amounts of tax and yet we get very little in return. I  wish the government becomes more efficient as taxpayers have less money now. They cannot be paying and not see any progress. As much as I would like the tax rate to be eased, I know its not possible as it is necessary.

Tittle: Dear Mr Ramaphosa, allow me to express my anger

Source: News24

link: https://www.news24.com/MyNews24/dear-mr-ramaphosa-allow-me-to-express-my-anger-20180226

ANC Youth League march to highlight political murders in Kwazulu-Natal

by Jeff Wicks


Discussed on this article, is the ANC Youth League in Pietermaritzburg that has  called for the province's Department of community safety and Liaison to investigate corrupt police officers who derail probes into political killings.
The League plunge into a march in the provincial capital to highlight the spate of political murders.
Included in their demands was the increase oversight by the department when these killings were being investigated.

This  march comes as the R15-million Moerane Commission of inquiry, which is established to probe the violence in Kwazulu-Natal continues to sit.

"We demand that the department plays its oversight role and oversee the functioning of the police as far as the investigation of political killings is concerned. furthermore, we want them to facilitate a transparent process of auditing all the dockets related to political killings, " the memorandum read.They also called on the department, and its head Mxolisi Kaundry, to asses the effectiveness of individuals and the units investigating all these cases.
The memorandum was received by the head of provincial secretariat in the department,Mvuseni Mnqayi.

I'm surprised that there would be a commission set up  to spend resources, the limited resources of our country,  probing something that they assume to be political killing. This is because, it is possible that there are no political killings in the province but only intra-party killings within the ANC. It would have been a best idea to first try to identify or investigate what was going on, whether these so called political killings are indeed 'political killings' or ANC members  killing each other for resources, tenders and patronage.

Tittle: ANC Youth League march to highlight political murders in Kwazulu-Natal.

source: Time live

link: https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-03-02-anc-youth-league-march-to-highlight-political-murders-in-kwazulu-natal/

Ramaphosa's First Cabinet: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

by Ferial Haffajee


In this article, discussed is President Cyril Ramaphosa's first Cabinet which has a strong reformist flavour about it. However everything is not totally hunky-dory.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made sweeping changes to his Cabinet. He made changes to 24 of the 38 Cabinet portfolios.

There is strong reform impetus in his Cabinet as Nhlanhla Nene and Pravin Gordhan are back. Both were asked for standing up to state capture and their reappointment make a noteworthy statement. However, it is also a Cabinet of compromise as a result of three ministers who have been tainted by allegation of state and corruption have been retained and three have been fired.

I receive with pleasure the retention of Nhlanhla Nene to Treasury and Pravin Gordhan's appointment to Public Enterprises Department as these appointments offer an opportunity to stabilise the economy. President Cyril Ramaphosa has not only made South Africa's economic recovery his top priority, he sought to undo the greatest wrongs committed by his predecessor. I am glad about the retention of some ministers.
However, I am concerned about the retention of some other ministers, such as Malusi Gigaba and Bathabile Dlamini. Gigaba has been linked to the Gupta family and was found to have lied under oath, thus his retention is disturbing to me.

Some of Ramaphosa's appointments are causing alarm and indicate that he did not have a completely free hand in choosing the executive. I believe the key appointments in the economic cluster will be enough to boost the challenges, such as youth employment.

Tittle: Ramaphosa's First Cabinet: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

link: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2018/02/26/ramaphosa-s-first-cabinet-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly_a_23371624/

source: Huffpost