Letter

Dear Editor Scenes this week of protests, distress, hunger-strikes and accommodation lock-outs, at tertiary campuses across South Africa demand action from the Minister of Higher Education & Training. It is not enough for the Minister to visit a handful of campuses and make generic calls for change. She is in change, and the buck stops …

Dear Editor During a joint portfolio committee meeting on Tuesday, Minister for Communication and Digital Technology, Minister Solly Malatsi, made it clear that no social grant will be stopped as a result of the SASSA and Postbank card renewal crisis as additional interventions such as cardless cash withdrawal service, similar to an Ewallet service, is …

Dear Editor The rise in learner pregnancies, especially the tragic number of children aged 10-14, underscores a crisis that demands urgent attention. According to figures released by the Department of Education, 67 389 girls aged 15-19 delivered in the first three quarters, as well as 1 424 girls aged 10-14. These are not just statistics …

Editor: Many people are referring to this unprecedented and monumental waste of taxpayer’s money as “HISTORIC” and a “VICTORY” – surely we can find another word that is far less positive? Dear Editor The postponement of the Minister of Finance’s 2025/26 National Budget Speech today is a victory for the people of South Africa, as …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance is deeply concerned at reports of looming tax increases in tomorrow’s budget. We are in government to protect the pockets of South Africans, not to squeeze them. There are billions in bloat calling out to be cut which will arrest our deficit. We call on the Finance Minister to consider …

Dear Editor The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q4:2024 underscores the urgency of accelerating economic reforms to drive job creation in South Africa. The official unemployment rate stands at 31.9%, reflecting a 0.2 percentage point decrease from the previous quarter. While this slight improvement is encouraging, the structural challenges in our economy persist, …

Dear Editor Yesterday, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, blocked DA Members of Parliament from an oversight of the Directorate for Conventional Arms Control (DCAC), through a telephonic instruction to Acting Director of the DCAC, Peter Mashaba. Due to this effort to avoid accountability, we will report Minister Ntshavheni to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee. It …

Dear Editor The DA is pleased to see that the Director-General (DG) in the Department of Health (NDoH), Dr Sandile Buthelezi, has released clear guidance to about how health facilities should continue to provide uninterrupted HIV services in the wake of the abrupt freeze by the United States (US) government of PEFPAR-funded programmes in South …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into the recent purchase of a multi-million Rand commercial property by the Crime Intelligence Division of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Berea, Durban. This purchase, approved by high-ranking officials within Crime Intelligence, raises serious concerns due to the vast …

Dear Editor After sustained pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA), Minister of South African Police Senzo Mchunu has finally agreed to begin deploying police body-worn cameras, confirming that the roll-out will start in April 2025, as stated in his written reply to a DA parliamentary question. According to the minister, the South African Police Service …

Dear Editor The DA will launch a probe into the waste of R10 million by the Competition Commission using parliamentary accountability mechanisms. Reports that the Competition Commission has paid nearly R10 million (R890 000 monthly) to lease office premises in Sunnyside, Tshwane, that it has left unoccupied, are absolutely unacceptable and represent a staggering waste …

Dear Editor “The DA strongly opposes any tax increases and does not support increases to personal income tax, corporate income tax and value added tax.” The Democratic Alliance believes that the 2025 Budget must be a turning point for our economy and demonstrate a commitment to serious, fast tracked reforms towards growth. After a decade …

Dear Editor Nearly half of South Africa’s correctional facilities lack adequate perimeter fencing. A Parliamentary Question reply from Minister for Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald revealed that an estimated R1 billion is required to address the fencing deficiencies at 120 prisons nationwide. However, the lack of specific completion dates for any of these projects, attributed to …

Dear Editor The National School Nutrition Programme provides meals to 9.7 million learners daily. It is the responsibility of the Provincial Departments of Education to implement this nationally funded programme, appoint service providers, ensure food quality and delivery and monitor school compliance. The DA is concerned with apparent challenges in proper supply chain management relating …

Dear Editor Residents of the City of Ekurhuleni are to be punished with rolling blackouts due to the ANC-EFF-ASA coalition’s inability to exercise financial discipline and failed to pay the city’s Eskom account. A public notice issued by Eskom indicates that the power utility intends to switch the lights off as it is currently owed …

Dear Editor The ANC in North West is playing with fire with its proposal to disestablish the Ditsobotla Local Municipality and incorporate various parts into surrounding municipalities after the 2026 local government elections should the provincial government’s interventions fail. Once again, the ANC is exhibiting political cowardice in dealing with the structural issues that undermine …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes the press release by the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (COSATU) parliamentary coordinator, Matthew Parks, which reads more as a personal grievance with myself and a tirade against organised labour that does not vote ANC, than any meaningful contribution to labour reform in South Africa, especially as …

Dear Editor Social media and news reports have been filled with horrendous instances of bullying since the start of the school year. The extreme nature of the bullying includes children being thrust into toilets, defiled with faeces, body shamed, choked and attacked. While the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has committed to working with …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance has written to the Chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, to call for the Minister to appear and answer for the unacceptable delay in establishing the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. Since the empowering law was signed by President Ramaphosa in May …

Dear Editor The Democratic Alliance’s commitment in National Government to digitising services, and bringing government interface online, is a very real commitment that will be progressively achieved through the portfolios we control. A first significant example of this DA commitment is this week’s launch of the Home Affairs Department’s new digital portal for the Trusted …