Letter

Mark Allewell, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cape Town-based company Sensor Networks was the special guest at Premier Alan Winde’s 18th Energy Digicon. This week’s digicon looked at demand side management (DSM), which is a key component of the Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme. The aim of DSM is overall to “flatten the curve” …

Dear Editor Yesterday, the DA continued its #EndPitToilets campaign in Limpopo at the Nkota Secondary School where 209 learners and 18 staff members have to share 10 pit toilets. None of these toilets have ever been maintained by the Department of Basic Education (DBE). (See photos here and here ) Despite the community making the …

Dear Editor The DA calls on the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, to urgently outline the steps her department is taking to safeguard media freedom and ensure that South African journalists are not subject to arbitrary censorship by Russian authorities. In light of the recent revocation of Daily Maverick foreign policy specialist …

Dear Editor It has been more than a week since the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma must go back to prison, yet media reports state he is still in Russia. The Department of Correctional Services’ inability to announce when Zuma will return to prison is unjustifiable. The DA once again urges the Commissioner to promptly …

Dear Editor The DA welcomes the public protector’s investigation into the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) direct payment contracts awarded to four services providers that do not have the required financial licenses. Stellenbosch SRC Vice Chairperson and DASO member, William Sezoe, lodged the complaint after Coinvest, Tenet Technology, Ezaga Holdings and Norraco Corporation won …

Dear Editor The FF Plus is cautiously optimistic about the newly proposed regulations for the location of the radio telescopes of the international SKA project. The regulations propose that a smaller area must be set aside for the project. The Minister of Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, published it on 18 July in the …

Contribution by Wouter Wessels, FF Plus MP (This contribution also appeared in the Rapport newspaper on 25 June 2023 with the title: Short-sighted yes-manship paves the way for even worse suffering): Africa is, like the rest of the world, heavily burdened by high inflation rates due to sky-rocketing food prices and the high cost of …

Dear Editor Like with the Lady R, government is not playing open cards regarding the Russian freight plane landing at Waterkloof The ANC has not been playing open cards with South Africa regarding the freight plane of a private Russian company, Aviacon Zitotrans, which landed at the Waterkloof Air Force Base on 24 April this …

The FF Plus asked and answered the following question: “Can South Africa afford to have Paul Mashatile as president?” by saying; “The answer is a definite no!” South Africa still has not recovered from the state capture that occurred under the presidency of Jacob Zuma and cannot afford a second wave of state capture under …

Dear Editor The NHI Bill which the ANC government is bulldozing through parliament is ignoring the concerns of medical professionals. Thousands of medical professionals have added their voices rejecting this sham of a bill through a petition. The DA believes that universal health care and coverage should be pursued, but the NHI Bill is not …

Dear Editor The DA will call on the parliamentary portfolio committee on transport chairperson, Regina Mina Mpontseng Lesoma, to request that a joint memorandum from various legal entities regarding the mismanagement of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) be tabled and extensively discussed by the committee. The committee must develop actionable steps to address the outlined …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) extends its best wishes to His Royal Highness, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, having learned of his readmission to hospital to heal after a minor procedure to relieve prolonged back pain. We wish HRH a speedy and full recovery, and stand in solidarity with his political home, the Inkatha Freedom Party …

Dear Editor South Africans have spent 27% of this year without power. This equates to 49 full days of load-shedding, which is the same amount of time spent without power during the last four years combined. In four days’ time, with no sign of loadshedding ending, we will have experienced more loadshedding in 2023 than …

Dear Editor The DA notes that after almost two years since the devastating floods that left Deelpan residents homeless in the Tswaing Local Municipality and the R54,9 million made available by the North West Provincial Government to reconstruct damaged homes, many remain destitute. While the DA acknowledges the provincial government’s intention to rebuild houses for …

Dear Editor The DA welcomes the latest announcement from IPID that after weeks of stalling, the blue light bullies will be processed at Sandton Police Station today and appear in Randburg Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. This comes after the DA lodged a complaint with IPID which prompted IPID’s investigation. Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesman Robbie Raburabu …

Dear Editor Vulnerable South African households continue to suffer and struggle to put food on the table leading to malnutrition. Rising food inflation has exacerbated this issue with research done by the University of Witswatersrand showing that one in five households in the country is food insecure. The DA’s Social Development Policy proposes various solutions …

Dear Editor The ANC government has failed to stop load-shedding. To make up for this failure the Minister of Electricity proposed a new programme to install smart meters, which will pave the way for the government to control electricity usage. The DA has submitted a PAIA request to ascertain if such a programme does exist, …

Dear Editor While SpaceX’s Starlink satellite-based internet service is expanding its coverage to Kenya, South African regulations require SpaceX to cede 30% of its equity to ANC-connected individuals. The DA wants the Minister to revise legislation and regulations to enable international investors like SpaceX to offer high-speed internet access to all South Africans The DA …

Dear Editor The DA has written to the chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, to request a rescheduling of the committee programme to prioritise holding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to account on their controversial direct payment system. We also requested that the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) …