Dear Editor
The DA began an inclusive Parliamentary process of drafting legislation that would stabilise coalition governments in October of 2022. We sought the inputs of other political parties represented in Parliament in order to make sure when we get to the drafting process, we would have incorporated their diversity of views. The ANC could not be bothered to participate at the time.
Now, it has become apparent during the National Dialogue hosted by the Presidency over the past two days that the ANC has been desperately trying to hijack this process. In their desperate move to play catch up; they have sought to undermine the law-making process already underway in Parliament and made a mockery of the intention of the dialogue where proposals from various parties were meant to be sought.
The Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Parks Tau, made it clear yesterday that government has drafted a piece of legislation that speaks to most of the issues in the DA Bills which were submitted to Parliament last year. If the ANC government had identified key proposals in our Bills which they want to support, they should support the pieces of legislation when they come to Parliament.
Developing parallel legislation which borrow extensively from the draft Bills brought by the DA is operating in bad faith. It also makes a mockery of this process which the Deputy President hurriedly put together. The inputs made by political parties in the past two days have been in vain, since the outcome is already decided upon.
The purported ‘meeting of the minds’ between the DA and the ANC is nothing more than the governing party hijacking the DA’s legislative proposals already in Parliament.
The DA will continue with its law-making process. It is our view that these Bills will go a long way to stabilise coalition governments. Research shows that the ANC will likely lose their 50% majority next year and a number of provinces may be led by coalition governments. That is why we need to prepare the ground work for stable and accountable governments. These laws are not designed to prop up a failing ANC. They are designed to protect the citizens of South Africa.
Regards
Siviwe Gwarube MP
Chief Whip of the Official Opposition
Redneck Giorgio
Laaitie – a young male [light-e] This term is used to describe a male in his teens or early twenties.
sapiens
Diary of an Englishman after he moves to South Africa….
**August 1**: Just got transferred with work from London, UK to our new home in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, South Africa. Now this is a town that knows how to live! Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings. I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday. It was beautiful. I’ve finally found my new home. I love it here.
**September 1:** Really heating up now. It got to 31 today. No problem though. Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I’m turning into a sun-worshipper – no blasted rain like back in London! Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and rocks. No more mowing lawns for me! Another scorcher today, but I love it here. It’s Paradise !
**October 1:** The temperature hasn’t been below 35 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least today it’s windy though. Keeps the flies off a bit. Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected. Fell asleep by the pool yesterday. Got third degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed three days off work. What a dumb thing to do. Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!
**October 25:** This wind is a bastard. It feels like a giant fucking blow dryer. And it’s hot as hell! The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged R200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from @#$# Johannesburg. The wife & the kids are complaining.
**October 30:** The temperature’s up around 40 and the parts still haven’t arrived for the fucking air conditioner. House is an oven so we’ve all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bleeding R4 million house and we can’t even go inside. Why the hell did I ever come here?
**November 4:** Finally got the fucking air-conditioner fixed. It cost R1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 35 degrees. Stupid repairman. Fucking thief. If one more smart bastard says ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to fucking throttle him. Fucking heat! By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fucking clothes are soaking fucking wet and I smell like baked cat. Fucking place is the end of the Earth.
**November 9:** Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car. I thought my fucking backside was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fucking behind. Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried bum and baked cat. The Weather report might as well be a fucking recording – hot and sunny. Hot and sunny, Hot and fucking sunny. It’s been too hot to do anything for 2 bleeding months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Fuck!!
**November 15:** Doesn’t it ever rain in this darn place? Water restrictions will be next, so my R5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fucking pool. The only things that thrive in this hell-hole are the fucking flies. You don’t dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little buzzards!
**November 20:** Welcome to HELL! It got to 45 degrees today. Now the air conditioner is gone in my car. The repair man came to fix it and said, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I wanted to shove the car up his backside. Anyway, had to spend the R2,500 of the mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid fool. Fucking PHALABORWA! What kind of sick, demented idiot would want to live here!
**December 1:** WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fucking kidding me, right?