Steenhuisen challenges Ramaphosa

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the dishonest and desperate comments made by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa in defence of his planned ANC/EFF Doomsday Coalition, which will burn South Africa to the ground. Ramaphosa’s comments came in response to the DA’s latest ground-breaking political advertisement, which has been viewed over three million times in less than 48 hours, and which depicts how an ANC/EFF coalition would set our country and its flag on fire, before calling upon South Africans to vote for the DA in order to defend and restore the flag to its rightful place as a symbol of pride.

In response, Ramaphosa defaulted to his habit of lying, by seeking to twist the obvious meaning of the video, ludicrously claiming that it was the DA that “wants to destroy South Africa.” This coming from the man who has already destroyed everything from electricity and water supply to public transport and the economy of this country, as evidenced most recently by companies like Shell fleeing the devastation wrought by his government.

In contrast to Ramaphosa’s desperate lies, the message of the advertisement clearly shows that it is the corrupt ANC, as well as its thieving allies in the EFF, MK and mercenary small parties, that are hellbent on destroying South Africa.

Such a Doomsday Coalition between the ANC, the EFF and other looters will not only set our flag on fire. It will burn our constitutional democracy to ashes. It will burn the Rand to ashes. It will burn our economy to ashes. And it will burn our great South African dream beyond recognition.

Dishonest as they are, Ramaphosa’s comments are nonetheless revealing. They confirm that the ANC is desperate to defend its planned Doomsday Coalition at all costs. At the same time that Ramaphosa’s made his dishonest comments, the ANC’s Gauteng provincial secretary, Thembinkosi Nciza, also released a statement defending the party’s looting arrangements with the EFF. The ANC’s statement explicitly defends its intention to “enter into a coalition with other opposition parties” after losing its majority on 29 May.

The people of South Africa know that the ANC is planning to form a Doomsday Coalition with the looters in the EFF and MK after the election, because this is the only way that ANC leaders will stay out of jail. Ramaphosa himself – who has never been properly held to account for the Phala Phala scandal – knows that he will require protection from fellow looters in parties like the EFF after the election. He knows full well that a new government anchored by the DA, will lock up all ANC cadres for the unspeakable crimes they have committed against the people of South Africa.

It is clear that the DA’s advertisement has touched a nerve inside the ANC by exposing its plans to form a Doomsday Coalition. We therefore encourage every South African who has not yet seen our advertisement to visit wheretovote.da.org.za, or any of the DA’s social media pages, to see the truth of how ANC/EFF Doomsday will burn South Africa to ashes – and how only the DA can prevent that from happening.

Like we have done so many times before – including when we first warned voters to Stop Zuma in 2009 – the DA will not be silenced by liars like Ramaphosa. We will continue to fearlessly speak the truth that the planned coalition between the ANC, the EFF and other looters will burn South Africa to the ground, and that only a vote for the DA can prevent Doomsday.

In light of his latest lies and the fact that Ramaphosa recently cowered from an invitation for a presidential debate that was issued by News24, I now personally challenge him to a one-on-one debate to defend not only his disgraceful record in office, but also his planned formation of a Doomsday Coalition to escape accountability after the ANC loses its majority on 29 May.

The President must stop acting like a political commentator and come and debate his opposition if he is so shocked. Mr President, name the time and place and I will happily expose how you and the ANC have let South Africa burn.

Regards

John Steenhuisen MP
Leader of the Democratic Alliance