Hold Ramaphosa accountable for desecrating the presidency

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will file an application in the Electoral Court against ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, citing Ramaphosa in his personal capacity for violating the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Among other provisions, the Code as contained in the Electoral Act states expressly that “no person may abuse a position of power, privilege or influence, including parental, patriarchal, traditional or employment authority, to influence the conduct or outcome of an election.”

Under the guise of delivering an “address to the nation” last night, Ramaphosa violated the Electoral Code of Conduct when he abused the highest office in the land for flagrant electioneering. Ramaphosa’s manipulation was cynical, calculated and designed to influence the outcome of the election by providing the ANC with unearned airtime not made available to any other party contesting the election.

Not for the first time, Ramaphosa has chosen his corrupt political party over South Africa. As the President, he should have known better and must be held to account. This type of abuse cannot be allowed by anyone.

But his desecration of the office of President of the Republic also confirms that Ramaphosa is panicked, because he has finally realised that the people are about to hold the ANC to account for the corruption, misrule and hardship they have inflicted upon the people of South Africa.

The DA therefore calls on voters to turn out to the polling booths in their millions today, tomorrow and on Wednesday, to help us bring an end to the ANC’s impunity and abuse of our democracy for narrow personal and political gain. In addition to our urgent court action against Ramaphosa, voters can help us rescue South Africa from corruption and abuse of power by coming out in their numbers to vote for the DA.

Through his violation of the Electoral Act, Ramaphosa has clearly signalled that the ANC is prepared to undermine our constitutional democracy to try and cling to power. This should serve as an urgent warning to all of our democratic institutions, including the IEC.

If Ramaphosa is willing to abuse his office for narrow political gain even before the ANC has lost its majority, what else will he be willing to do to subvert the will of the people and cling to power after voters take away the ANC’s majority on Wednesday?

Ramaphosa’s latest abuse follows after he signed the NHI Act into law in a populist political stunt that similarly reeks of desperation. The gimmicks that have defined the ANC’s election campaign only serve to confirm why both Ramaphosa and the ANC are patently unfit to remain in office.

If voters needed any further confirmation that the hunger for power and the corruption of the ANC constitutes an urgent threat to the values upon which our constitutional democracy is based, Ramaphosa provided it last night.

Now is the time to rescue South Africa from those who subvert our country’s institutions and its future in their quest for personal power. The only way to do that, is for the people to go out and remove the ANC through the ballot box by voting for the DA.

Regards

John Steenhuisen MP
Leader of the Democratic Alliance