Dear Editor The DA, having noted the resignation of Randall Williams as Executive Mayor of Tshwane, would like to express its thanks and appreciation for the work done during his tenure. Williams, after being elected Executive Mayor of Tshwane in the midst of the Covid pandemic in 2020 and in the wake of ANC mismanagement that left the city with a R4 billion deficit, set about stabilising the city’s finances. This he did as the head of a DA minority government until the 2021 local …
Letters
Lesufi must first do his own job before interfering in Tshwane
Dear Editor The premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, faces many crises that require his diligent attention. The most obvious one is the Rand Water supply crisis currently afflicting municipalities and their residents. Instead the premier seems to be dedicating his time to playing political games. The DA takes note of Lesufi's statement that "the provincial ANC will enter into talks with other political parties in Tshwane in a bid to remove the DA from power”, and we assure him that we will …
Sergey Lavrov’s visit poses significant risk to South Africa’s economic and trade relations
Dear Editor The red carpet rollout for Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, at Waterkloof Air Force Base by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, is a dangerous foreign policy stunt that risks compromising South Africa’s diplomatic ties with our most important trading partners. By acceding to Lavrov’s visit to South Africa as Vladimir Putin’s emissary, Pandor and the ANC government have dispelled any notion that they are a neutral arbiter on Russia’s …
There Is Only One Way To End Load Shedding: Together
Dear Fellow South African, A week ago, the Sowetan newspaper carried a front page headlined ‘Unplugged’, listing many small businesses around the country that have been crippled by the electricity crisis. The closure of these businesses shows some of the devastating impact of persistent load shedding on people’s livelihoods and on their dreams for a better life. There are many other reports about the effects of load shedding on people’s lives, about the disruption at hospitals, schools, …
Minister Pandor warned against meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister
Dear Editor The DA calls on the Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, to not meet with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, unless it is to persuade Russia to cease all military operations in Ukraine. The South African government’s recent actions, including permitting the Russian cargo ship the Lady-R, to come into our shore shows that it is biased. It is becoming increasingly clear that the South African government is openly siding with Russia - as also proven by …
Coalition Parties to Engage Tshwane Executive for Plans on Audit Report
Dear Editor The governing multi-party coalition in the City of Tshwane has taken note of serious findings arising from the Auditor-General’s report for the 2021/2022 financial year. From the outset the multi-party coalition is unequivocal in expressing its disappointment with the audit findings and expect urgent remedial action, deep reform and real accountability. Our efforts to displace failed ANC governance can never see regressions in the standards of good governance. The national …
We Face The New Year With Confidence And Determination
My Fellow South Africans, As 2022 draws to a close, we can reflect on a tumultuous year. Like for many people around the world, this has been a tough year for many South Africans. In the first half of the year, we experienced devastating floods in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West. The Russia-Ukraine conflict sent shockwaves through global energy and food markets, leading to supply chain disruptions and rising prices that continue to be keenly felt, including in South …
The Fight To Recover Ill-Gotten Gains Is Gathering Steam
Fellow South Africans, The announcement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) last week that it had reached a settlement with an international company implicated in corruption at Eskom is a huge development in our effort to hold those responsible for state capture to account. The NPA Investigating Directorate finalised a landmark agreement with Swiss engineering company ABB Ltd to pay R2.5 billion in punitive reparations to South Africa. This in connection with bribes allegedly paid …
President should put Cele on leave
Dear Editor President Cyril Ramaphosa must put the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, on leave while the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (The Hawks) investigates his alleged involvement in irregularities. The irregularities relate to the leasing of police stations in Pretoria and Durban in 2010 while Cele served as the National Commissioner of Police. The total amount of the lease contracts amounted to R1,5 billion. In 2011, the Public Protector (PP) found in one of two …
Charlize may be an exceptional actress, but she is misinformed when it comes to her mother tongue
Dear Editor Like many other South Africans, the FF Plus is proud of what Charlize Theron has accomplished as an international actress. Especially her Oscar for best actress in the movie “Monster”. Her recent statements about her mother tongue Afrikaans, including that it is only spoken by about 44 people, clearly demonstrate that she is not up to date with what is going on in her country of birth, though. The FF Plus would like to put her right. The party suspects that more people in …