Devil to investigate Satan

Dear Editor

Last Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa ratified the nomination of Kholeka Gcaleka as the new Public Protector (PP).

On the same day, her obscure and incompetent predecessor, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, was inaugurated as an EFF Member of Parliament.

Seven years ago with Mkhwebane’s appointment as PP, just like recently with Gcaleka’s, the ANC completely disregarded all warnings that she is incompetent and now she is sitting with the EFF, proudly donning her red overall.

The Office of the PP is one of six Chapter 9 Institutions tasked with strengthening South Africa’s constitutional democracy. The Office of the PP is meant to act as a watchdog over government to investigate and expose maladministration and corruption.

According to section 181 of the Constitution, the Office of the PP is subject only to the Constitution and the law, must be impartial, and must exercise its powers and perform its functions without fear, favour or prejudice.

No person or organ of state may interfere with the functioning of the Office of the PP.

That was not the case with Mkhwebane. Her incompetence and prejudice had a devastating impact on the Office.

She undid all the hard work of her predecessor, Adv Thuli Madonsela, to build the Office of the PP up to the kind of institution envisaged by the Constitution.

Under Mkhwebane’s leadership, the Office of the PP developed a reputation as a political instrument benefiting the ANC’s RET faction and protecting the Guptas.

She single-handedly destroyed the public’s faith in the Office of the PP.

The ANC is not known for liking appointments that expose it and its corrupt cadres’ dealings, and will not make the same “mistake” of appointing someone like Madonsela.

It would be justified to ask whether Gcaleka will not simply be an ANC puppet. All the signs are there.

During Parliament’s section 194 inquiry into Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s competency to serve as PP, Gcaleka stood in for her.

She also, among other things, led the investigation into President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Phala Phala incident which exonerated him of any irregularities, although everyone with a shred of logic knows that something is amiss.

Gcaleka also served as Malusi Gigaba’s legal advisor when he replaced Pravin Gordhan as Minister of Finance as well as during his term as Minister of Home Affairs.

The state capture investigation labelled Gigaba as having been instrumental in making it possible for the Guptas to loot state entities during his term as Minister of Public Enterprises. It resulted in the dire financial situation in which Eskom and Transnet, among others, currently find themselves.

During this time, Gcaleka witnessed the worst state capture in the country’s history, which was carefully orchestrated by the Guptas, Gigaba, Jacob Zuma and others.

So, expecting Gcaleka to investigate the ANC government’s maladministration and corruption without prejudice is like asking the Devil to investigate Satan.

The outcome will not meet Joe Public’s expectation that the ANC government’s extensive looting of tax money will be brought to an end.

Turn a crisis into an opportunity

A recent opinion poll conducted by the Brenthurst Foundation indicates that the prospects of a coalition government following next year’s election are more likely than ever.

The poll indicates that the combined support for the Multi-party Charter for South Africa, which consists of the FF Plus, DA, IFP, ActionSA, ACDP, Independent South African National Civic Organisation (ISANCO), United Independent Movement and the Spectrum National Party, poses a real threat to the ANC.

Although the poll was conducted a mere two months after the Multi-party Charter was established, half of all the respondents recognised the Charter’s logo and indicated that they are more likely to vote for an opposition party.

In provinces such as KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape, the Multi-party Charter already has the most support.

In another positive development, civil organisations established Convergence4SA with the aim of encouraging people to register as voters, and to persuade them to go and make their mark to unseat the ANC.

This initiative should be widely supported and the entire South African civil society, trade unions, churches, the business community, academics, social organisations, the youth and individuals should join Convergence4SA.

South Africa finds itself in a crisis after nearly 30 years of ANC governance and it is every responsible citizen’s duty to do their part to save the country from ruin.

The Chinese draw all their words using pictures. Their word for crisis consists of two pictures, one for danger and the other for opportunity. In this way, they emphasise the important fact that any crisis is always made up of two elements: being a real threat and being an opportunity.

South Africa cannot afford facing the threat posed by another five years of the ANC’s destruction of the country.

With the 2024 elections, voters have the opportunity to free South Africa from the ANC’s clutches, and to start re-building a successful country together for the benefit of all its people.

I can vote, can you?

Next year’s elections differ from previous years’ general elections in many regards.

The one main difference is that in 2024, voters will not be able to vote at any voting station other than the one where they are registered.

In previous general elections, voters were still able to cast a national vote if they found themselves outside of the province where they were registered, but as from next year, that will no longer be possible.

Voters will only be able to vote at the voting station where they are registered according to the voters’ roll of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

So, if a voter is registered to vote at the Montana Primary School in Pretoria (Gauteng), that person will not be able to vote at any other voting station.

It is, therefore, crucially important for voters to ensure that they are correctly registered with the IEC.

Voters are welcome to contact the FF Plus via WhatsApp on 0861 700 700 to find out whether they are correctly registered, or to ask the party to assist them in changing, among other things, their residential address.

Individuals can also register as a new voter or change their details on the IEC’s web page: https://www.elections.org.za/pw/

Let us make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote is registered and ready to show up at the right voting station.

Together, we can rebuild SA.

Regards

Dalien Steyn
FF Plus