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COPE CALLS FOR THE REOPENING OF THE 2003 PROBE INTO THE PRESIDENT’S FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT |
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COPE CALLS FOR THE REOPENING OF THE 2003 PROBE INTO THE PRESIDENT’S FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT
Cape Town, 09 March 2010: Following the failure, once again, by President Jacob Zuma to declare his personal and family financial interests in the register of members’ interests, the Congress of the People calls for the reopening of the initial investigation into President Zuma’s clearly fraudulent document submitted to parliament in 2003.
It emerged during the Schabir Shaik Judgment that a document which was submitted to the Ethics Committee and formed the basis for the withdrawal of the case against President Zuma in November 2003 as a proof of a “loan agreement” between Schabir Schaik and President Zuma – was fictitious. At the time parliament claimed the matter was sub judice.
President Jacob Zuma has once again demonstrated his contempt for Parliament and for the law by failing to declare his interest within the 60 days as stipulated by the law. In 2003 the President maintained that he had complied with this act following the investigations by the Scorpions. It is puzzling, therefore, why the law would have become unclear to him since then.
COPE notes that nothing has changed in terms of the members’ interest legislation since President Zuma was fired by then President Mbeki in 2005. The latest revelation that President Zuma has yet to declare once more demonstrates the contemptuous attitude of the President towards the institutions of state, his office and the nation.
The Congress of the People is extremely concerned that the ‘champion’ of the fight against corruption 10-months into his office has yet to declare his financial interests. This form of contempt sends a very negative message to our people because is made to appear that some are more equal than others in particular those who are from the ruling party. The declaration of interests is at the heart of an effective fight against corruption – something that has adversely plagued our government.
Mvume Dandala said, “It does not augur well with us that President Zuma, the champion of the fight against the cancer of corruption is confused about the need to declare his interests when the law requiring him to do so was signed by him back in 2000 in his capacity as the acting president of the country. How ironic it is for him, therefore to be ducking and diving now”.
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COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota outlines plan for direct election of MP's as he launches two branches in KZN |
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COPE LAUNCHES TWO BRANCHES IN CLERMONT, DURBAN
After an attempted launch of a COPE branch was stalled last week (February 28th) due to threats of violence from the ANC, the Congress of the People rescheduled the launch of two branches this Sunday (March 7). The venue was changed to the Ashley Sports Field, near Pinetown in Durban.
This is something of a home ground for COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota, as he played for a soccer team called Clermont Home Defenders, and his daughter is buried in the Ashley cemetery.
“I was told that this launch was scheduled for last week,” said Lekota in a speech to a packed sports hall, ‘but it was delayed because of intimidation. That tells me that freedom is not there.”
“When Mandela spoke in Durban after 1994, he told the people of KwaZulu-Natal that the war was over, and that everyone must take their weapons and throw them into the sea. People must enjoy their freedom.”
“But now we see that this is no longer the case. This means, therefore, that COPE must fight once again for this freedom – the freedom of association.”
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CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE --SPEECH BY L RAMATLAKANE |
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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE --SPEECH BY L RAMATLAKANE
APPROPRIATIONS ON THE DIVISION OF REVENUE BILL [B4 – 2010]
4 MARCH 2010
Speaker,
We are dealing here with the basis for distributing revenue to the 3 spheres of government for the financial year 2010/11. The debate on division of revenue bill takes place against a growing restiveness and impatience right across our country.
Service delivery rumblings, which we witness almost daily, are becoming ominous. The poor voters are at the receiving end. The passing of the bill today must be meaningful to our people.
As parliament we must hold government to its promises. No more hollow promises at all levels should be entertained. Government must address the plight of the people.
COPE welcomes the budget reform which empowers Parliament to amend the government budget so that the most urgent needs of South Africans are indeed addressed.
The million dollar question, however, is whether this House is equal to the challenge of urgently appointing highly skilled people with real capacity to Parliament’s budget office or will it just resort to deploying cadre to this important office which has been set up to support the task of conducting real oversight of government actions and monitoring its fiscal discipline.
With ruling party sweet heart questions being asked every session, the National Assembly has yet to show that it answers to the people rather than to the party.
The developmental state regrettably is moving very slowly in respect of development - hence Balfour is on fire today.
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Once again, President Zuma refuses to declare his interests |
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In 2005, Thabo Mbeki fired Jacob Zuma as Deputy President of the Republic following the conviction of his financial adviser Schabir Shaik for inappropriate financial relationship with Zuma. This inappropriate relationship was discovered once Zuma failed to declare his financial interests in Parliament.
Since then Zuma has continued to receive financial assistance from business people ostensibly in return for favours ranging from construction of his Nkandla home to assistance for his third wife with regards to accommodation.
It therefore comes as no surprise that he has failed to declare his financial interests. He knows very well that as a member of the cabinet he is obliged to declare his interests just as previous heads of state have done. The only reason why he is not willing to declare his interest can only be that he has received a lot of resources from friends and associates in return for favours while in government, and / or that he lives beyond his means.
Having been in trouble with SARS for not being tax compliant, it may be that we are now sitting with a similar situation. This once more validates the motion of no confidence in President Zuma by Congress of the People. He is not only an embarrassment to the country, but flouts the constitution with impunity.
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COPE's Response to NERSA's approval of Eskom's tariff hikes |
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The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has today dealt another blow to our reeling economy in announcing increases of 24.8%, 25.8%, and 25.9% every April for the next three years.
With the increases being rubber stamped it looks as though Eskom's expansion plans will now be unilaterally foisted on the South African public.
The South African government and its economy are not ready for such an increase and the effects thereof. With the ruling party promising jobs and delivering a set of highly questionable "job opportunity" figures in lieu of real delivery, one questions how the rudderless executive and the bloated cabinet will be able to hide from the consequences of an angry electorate who were lied to, only now they will be much poorer. This is a recipe for further service delivery protests, which threaten the security of the State.
Politically it makes a further mockery of President Zuma's over optimistic State of the Nation address, while it gives the Minister of Finance absolutely no margin for error. We can forget about the Ministers growth projections and instead brace ourselves an inevitable increase in the inflation rate. These are figures that cannot be contended with, or stats that cannot be manipulated in any way.
If the government had any conscience whatsoever, it would expedite the process of bringing Independent Power Producers into the fold. Many of these producers use alternate energy, and this must be used in mitigation of the financial and environmental cost that these antiquated coal powered behemoths will incur.
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