Letter

Dear Editor The 7-day ultimatum that the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, gave the DA to withdraw and apologise for calling him out on his lies about 200 construction mafia arrests has come and gone. While the DA refused to apologise and stood by its statement, Zikalala has not only failed to …

Dear Editor The DA has written to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, Lindelwa Dunja, requesting that Minister Thulas Nxesi appear before the committee. This is so that he can account for the dodgy R5 billion ‘job creation’ deal between the Thuja Capital Fund and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) which …

Dear Editor If Jacob Zuma collapsed SOEs through state capture, the Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, has spent the past 5 years writing and certifying their obituaries. Since his appointment to the Public Enterprises portfolio in 2018, Gordhan has presided over an unprecedented governance chaos at Executive and Board level in State Owned Enterprises …

Dear Editor I have today written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Mr Boyce Maneli, requesting that he reconsider his decision to close part of the meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 11 October, where the SABC’s financial plans will be discussed. The SABC is the Public Broadcaster, with a Constitutional …

Dear Editor The DA has written to the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Lechesa Tsenoli, to refer the investigation into the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to the Powers and Privileges Committee. Ordinarily, a Member of Parliament would refer a complaint about another MP to the Speaker for investigation who would …

Dear Editor Current narrative suggests that the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, is considering hiking the VAT rate in an attempt to plug expected revenue gaps resulting from lower than projected economic growth. Speculation emerged after high-level discussions last month between the Minister of Finance, Governor of the Reserve Bank and President Ramaphosa. The National …

Dear Editor The DA wishes to extend its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the six SANDF soldiers who lost their lives, and the injured, during a devastating fire at the SA Army’s Combat Training Centre in Lohatlha in the Northern Cape on Friday. The soldiers who died are Staff Sergeant Abraham Desember …

Dear Editor The Department of Employment and Labour splurged the princely sum of R6,361,845.07 when it paid for 28 delegates (out of a total delegation of 43) to attend the 111th Session of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference in Geneva from 5 to 16 June 2023. This shocking waste of taxpayers’ money came to …

Dear Editor Today, the DA will launch its Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Policy Campaign to rescue South Africans from Crime, Corruption and Lawlessness. The centerpiece of the DA’s policy is an amendment to the South African Constitution to create a truly independent crime-busting entity embedded as a Chapter 9 institution. This entity will be …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns Hamas’ unprovoked attack on Israeli territory today during the religious holiday of Simchat Torah. The DA urgently calls on the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to unequivocally condemn this unprovoked attack and join the international community in their calls for an immediate end to this rapidly escalating …

Dear Editor Minister for Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu’s response to a parliamentary written question from the DA, leans towards the inevitable extension of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold card expiry date if she wishes to avoid further embarrassment and national panic and chaos. With less than three months left before approximately 5.3 …

Dear Editor Revelations that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Amos Masondo allegedly misled Parliament over the salary of the Secretary to Parliament should be urgently investigated. The Sunday Times has revealed that despite the position of the Secretary to Parliament being priced at a …

Dear Editor Following startling allegations of influence peddling and ‘quid pro quo’ machinations to secure permits and control of gas terminals, Karpowership’s position as a preferred bidder for the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme (RMIPPP) has become legally untenable. Three years after Karpowership was announced as one of the preferred bidders, they have completely failed …

Dear Editor It is with great dismay and sadness that I learned of Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wines’ arrest by guerrilla soldiers upon his return to Uganda on Thursday morning. As a friend and colleague, I had spent much of Wednesday evening with Bobi at an event in Johannesburg where he shared his frustrations as …

Dear Editor The DA notes the ongoing engagements between Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), Thoko Didiza, and stakeholders in the poultry industry regarding the avian flu outbreak. While talks are ongoing, farmers are losing their stock and are losing millions of rands every day. We therefore call on the DALRRD to …

Dear Editor Last week, Cabinet approved and submitted to Parliament the new SABC Bill. The Bill is meant to provide the SABC with an updated mandate for the digital era. It is also meant to provide the SABC with a new funding model. The Bill completely falls short, as the Public Broadcaster continues to operate …

Dear Editor Since the Military Veterans Act was enacted in 2011, Military Veterans are yet to receive their pension benefits because the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) has not published the Pension Regulations. The Pension Regulations were signed by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Thandi Modise, on 31 July 2023. On 20 September …

Dear Editor Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande completely lost the plot at last night’s parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on higher education when he accused the committee of overstepping its mandate regarding our reasonable request that National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) direct payment service providers present additional information to the committee. The Minister’s outburst was …

Dear Editor Several houses in Nyakallong, Allanridge, in the Free State, have been flooded or washed away by sewage flowing into the Voëlpan. See photos here, here, here and here. This is the same pan that flooded in 2022 and caused the R30 which crosses it to be dubbed the “road of death”, where 54 …