CAPE TOWN - Opposition parties on Friday united to express disappointment at President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address.
They said Zuma's speech on Thursday night cemented their view that he is not fit to run the country.
In an unprecedented move, eight opposition parties joined forces in 2012 to bring a motion of no-confidence in the president.
DA Parliamentary Leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said Zuma failed to provide an inspiring vision for the country and a realistic plan to get there.
“He had an opportunity to give us an indication of his plans to create more jobs for young South Africans, but instead he just paid lip service.”
Congress of the People (Cope) leader Mosioua Lekota said once the Constitutional Court rules on the matter, opposition parties will pursue a motion of no-confidence in Zuma.
He said the president can no longer be trusted to deal with the pressing concerns.
The eight political parties believe the extravagant spending on Zuma’s Nkandla home will make it difficult for South Africans to take his pledge on corruption seriously.
According to Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi, a government investigation revealed the state paid over R206 million for security upgrades to Zuma’s private residence.
It found “no evidence that public money was spent to build the private residence of the president or that any house belonging to the president was built with public money”.
Over R20m of this was allegedly spent on private security consultants.
Meanwhile, the Cape Chamber of Commerce described the address as "incredibly disappointing".
Cape Chamber President Fred Jacobs admitted while they were mostly displeased with Zuma's address....
http://ewn.co.za/2013/02/15/Zuma-address-gets-thumbs-down
Crime is Crime Corruption is Corruption Murder is Murder Rape is Rape Facts are Facts
Friday, February 15, 2013
State of the Nation speech 2013
State of the Nation Address By His Excellency Jacob G Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa on the occasion of the Joint Sitting Of Parliament Cape Town, 14 February 2013
Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly,
Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces;
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP;
Deputy President of the Republic, Honourable Kgalema Motlanthe;
Former President Thabo Mbeki and Mrs Mbeki,
Former President De Klerk and Mrs De Klerk,
Former Deputy Presidents Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Baleka Mbete,
Honourable Chief Justice of the Republic, and all esteemed members of the Judiciary;
Honourable Peeroo, Chairperson of the SADC Parliamentary Forum,
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Distinguished Premiers and Speakers of our Provinces;
Chairperson of SALGA, and all local government leadership;
Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders;
The Heads of Chapter 9 Institutions;
The Governor of the Reserve Bank; Ms Gill Marcus,
The Deputy Chairperson of the National Planning Commission and Deputy President of the ANC, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and all ANC Officials,
Leaders from business, sports, traditional, religious and all sectors,
Members of the diplomatic corps, Special and distinguished guests,
Honourable members,
Fellow South Africans,
Good evening to you all, sanibonani nonke, molweni, dumelang.
Let me thank the Presiding Officers for affording me this opportunity to share our 2013 programme of action with the joint sitting of Parliament.
We greet all who are watching this broadcast from their homes and at GCIS viewing centres around the country, including those in Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Gugulethu here in Cape Town.
Let me also extend my gratitude to all who contributed to the preparation of this address. I received several messages via email, twitter and Facebook.
I also spent some time with Grade 12 learners who shared their own views on what should be contained in the speech. I found the inputs very informative and enriching.
Honourable Members,
Compatriots and friends,
On the 15 of August last year, the National Planning Commission handed over the National Development Plan, the vision of the country for the next 20 years, to the President in this august house.
The NDP contains proposals for tackling the problems of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
It is a roadmap to a South Africa where all will have water, electricity, sanitation, jobs, housing, public transport, adequate nutrition, education, social protection, quality healthcare, recreation and a clean environment.
The achievement of these goals has proven to be difficult in the recent past, due the global economic recession.
The crisis in the Eurozone affects our economy as the Eurozone is our major trading partner, accounting for around 21 per cent of our exports.
Our GDP growth is expected to average at 2.5% cent, down from 3.1% in the previous year. We need growth rates in excess of five per cent to create more jobs.
The National Development Plan outlines interventions that can put the economy on a better footing. The target for job creation is set at 11 million by 2030 and the economy needs to grow threefold to create the desired jobs.
In my last meeting with the business community, the sector indicated that for the economy to grow three-fold, we must remove certain obstacles.
We will engage business, labour and other social partners in pursuit of solutions. No single force acting individually can achieve the objectives we have set for ourselves.
Honourable Members,
I would now like to report on progress made since the last State of the Nation Address and also to discuss our programme of action for 2013.
I will look at the five priorities – education, health, the fight against crime, creating decent work as well as rural development and land reform.
Last year, I addressed the nation on government’s infrastructure plans.
By the end of March this year, starting from 2009, government will have spent about 860 billion rand on infrastructure. Various projects are being implemented around the country. I will discuss just a few.
The construction of the first phase of the Mokolo and Crocodile River Water Augmentation has commenced and it will provide part of the water required for the Matimba and the Medupi power stations.
The construction of the bulk water distribution system for the De Hoop Dam began in October 2012, to supply water to the Greater Sekhukhune, Waterberg and Capricorn district municipalities.
We have to shift the transportation of coal from road to rail in Mpumalanga, in order to protect the provincial roads. Thus the construction of the Majuba Rail coal line will begin soon.
We have also committed to improve the movement of goods and economic integration through a Durban-Free State-Gauteng logistics and industrial corridor.
In this regard, substantial work is now underway to develop the City Deep inland terminal in Gauteng.
Initial work has commenced in the expansion of the Pier 2 in the Durban Port.
And thirdly, land has been purchased for the development of a new dug-out port at the Old Durban airport.
In the Eastern Cape, I officially opened the port of Ngqura and construction is now underway to develop a major new transhipment hub.
The Umzimvubu Dam is critical for rural livelihoods. Preparatory work has commenced for the construction to begin next year.
The upgrading of Mthatha airport runway and terminal and the construction of the Nkosi Dalibhunga Mandela Legacy Road and Bridge are currently underway.
I have asked for work in the North West to be fast-tracked further in light of the huge backlogs in that province, especially electricity, schools, clinics, roads and water in the next two years.
To improve the transportation of iron-ore and open up the west coast of the country, we have expanded the rail capacity through the delivery of 11 locomotives.
The first phase of the expansion – to increase iron ore port capacity at Saldanha to 60 million tons per annum – was officially completed in September last year.
Construction work is taking place in five cities – Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay, Rustenburg, eThekwini, Tshwane to integrate the different modes of transport – bus, taxi and train.
In the energy sector, we have now laid 675 kilometres of electricity transmission lines to connect fast-growing economic centres and also to bring power to rural areas.
In addition, government signed contracts to the value of R47 billion in the renewable energy programme.
This involves 28 projects in wind, solar and small hydro technologies, to be developed in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and in the Free State.
We established an 800 million rand national green fund last year. To date, over 400 million rand investments in green economy projects has already been approved for municipalities, other organs of state, community organisations and the private sector across all provinces.
We have also rolled out 315 000 solar water geysers as of January this year, most of which were given to poor households, many of whom had never had running hot water before.
We have scored successes in extending basic services through the infrastructure programme. Close to 200 000 households have been connected to the national electricity grid in 2012.
You will also recall that Census 2011 outlined the successes in extending basic services. The report said the number of households with access to electricity is now at 12.1 million, which translates to 85%. Nine out of 10 households have access to water.
To prepare for the advanced economy we need to develop, we will expand the broadband network.
Last year, the private and public sector laid about 7000 new fibre optic cables. The plan is to achieve 100% broadband internet penetration by 2020.
With regard to social infrastructure, a total of 98 new schools will have been built by the end of March, of which more than 40 are in the Eastern Cape that are replacing mud schools.
Construction is expected to begin in September at the sites of two new universities in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Last week, we published an Infrastructure Development Bill for public comment.
We are cracking down on corruption, tender fraud and price fixing in the infrastructure programme.
The state has collected a substantial dossier of information on improper conduct by large construction companies.
This is now the subject of formal processes of the competition commission and other law enforcement authorities.
The infrastructure development programme has been a valuable source of learning for government. In the year ahead, we will fast-track many of the projects that the PICC has announced.
The lessons are that we must coordinate, integrate and focus on implementation.
Honourable Members,
The past two years have demonstrated that where the state intervenes strongly and consistently, it can turn around key industries that face external or internal threats as has happened in our manufacturing sector.
We have seen the revitalization of train and bus production in South Africa, largely because of the drive for local procurement.
PRASA and Transnet have committed hundreds of billions of rands to improving our commuter and freight train network.
The clothing, textiles and footwear industry has stabilised after 15 years of steadily falling employment. A clothing support scheme provides broad financial support, saving a number of factories and jobs.
On broader economic transformation, revised Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Act and codes are being finalised. The development of black owned enterprises and black industrialists will be prioritised.
Government has several programmes of supporting small business. A key project for the Presidency currently is to get government departments to pay SMMEs within 30 days.
Departments are required to submit monthly reports so that we can monitor progress in this regard.
We have taken a decision that accounting officers who fail to execute this directive, should face consequences.
In the 2010 State of the Nation Address, I announced the Job fund, and three billion rand has been approved for projects that will create jobs.
Honourable Members,
Just over a third of the population is under the age of 15. Our country, like many others, has a crisis of youth unemployment.
Last May I asked constituencies at NEDLAC to discuss youth employment incentives. I am pleased that discussions have been concluded and that agreement has been reached on key principles. The parties will sign the Accord later this month.
The incentives will add to what Government is already doing to empower the youth.
State owned companies provide apprenticeships and learnerships and we urge that these be increased. We appeal to the private sector to absorb 11 000 FET graduates who are awaiting placements.
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform runs the National Rural Youth Services Corps, which has enrolled 11 740 young people in various training programmes.
The Department is also planning nine Rural Youth Hubs per province, including in the 23 poorest districts in the country.
We will also use the Expanded Public Works Programme and the Community Work programme to absorb young people.
Working together we will find a solution to youth unemployment.
Honourable members,
We identified tourism as one of our job drivers.
Tourist arrivals grew at an impressive 10.7 percent between January and September 2012, which is higher than the global average of 4% for last year.
Ironically, the very success of South Africa’s national conservation effort resulting in over 73% of the worlds’ rhino population being conserved here, has resulted in our country being targeted by international poaching syndicates.
We are working with recipient and transit countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and China and are intensifying our efforts to combat this increasing scourge.
Honourable Speaker
Honourable Chairperson,
Mining, which is historically the backbone of the economy, has faced difficulties in recent months.
Last year the sector was hit by wild cat strikes and the tragedy in Marikana where more than 44 people were killed.
We established an Inter-Ministerial Committee made up of senior cabinet Ministers to assist families during that difficult period. The Judicial Commission of Inquiry led by Judge Ian Farlam continues its work.
Through working together we were able to restore social stability in the area.
Government, labour in the form of COSATU, NACTU and FEDUSA, Business Unity SA, Black Business Council and the community sector met in October and reached an agreement which laid the basis for a return to work across the mining industry.
In particular, we agreed to work together to strengthen collective bargaining; to address the housing problems in the mining towns; to support the National infrastructure Programme; to address youth unemployment; and to identify measures to reduce inequalities.
Work is underway and the team will report in due course with specific plans for Rustenburg, Lephalale, Emalahleni, West Rand, Welkom, Klerksdorp, Burgersfort/Steelport, Carletonville and Madibeng.
Two weeks ago, I had a meeting in Pretoria with Sir John Parker, the chairman of Anglo-American Plc to discuss the reported plans to restructure and retrench 14 000 workers at Anglo American Platinum.
Compatriots,
Honourable Members,
We believe that at a policy level we have managed to bring about certainty in the mining sector. The nationalisation debate was laid to rest in December at the ruling party’s national conference.
Ensuring that the public services we provide our people today can continue to be provided to our people tomorrow, requires that we have suitable tax policies to generate sufficient revenue to pay for these services.
From time to time, we have commissioned studies into our tax policies, to evaluate the extent to which they meet the requirements of the fiscus.
Later this year, the Minister of Finance will be commissioning a study of our current tax policies, to make sure that we have an appropriate revenue base to support public spending.
Part of this study, will evaluate the current mining royalties regime, with regard to its ability to suitably serve our people.
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests,
In last year’s address we raised the issue of the gap market, the people who earn too much to qualify for an RDP house and too little for a bank mortgage bond.
From April 2012 to December 2012, Provincial Departments committed a budget of 126 million rand of the Human Settlements Development Grant for this programme, known as the Finance Linked Individual Subsidy programme.
The money is being used through the National Housing Finance Corporation, which has been appointed to deliver houses to people within the Gap market in twelve registered projects.
A total of 70 million rand of this amount has been used to date.
Projects include Walmer Link in the Eastern Cape, Lady Selbourne, Nelmapius, Bohlabela Borwa, Cosmo City and Fleurhof in Gauteng, Intabazwe Corridor Housing in the Free State and Seraleng in North West.
The implementation of these eight GAP housing projects is currently underway.
Compatriots and friends,
Honourable Members,
On education, we are pleased that the Grade 12 pass rate is finally on an upward trend. We congratulate the Class of 2012, their teachers, parents and communities for the continued improvement.
We congratulate the top province for 2012, Gauteng and top grade 12 learner, Miss Madikgetho Komane, from Sekhukhune district, Limpopo, who is our special guest.
Honourable members,
The Annual National Assessments in our schools, have become a powerful tool of assessing the health of our education system.
We welcome the improvement each year in the ANA results, but more must be done to improve maths, science and technology.
The Department of Basic Education will establish a national task team to strengthen the implementation of the Mathematics, Science and Technology Strategy.
We urge the private sector to partner government through establishing, adopting or sponsoring maths and science academies or Saturday schools.
Compatriots,
We are pleased with the growth of our early childhood education programmes, including Grade R.
We are also pleased with our adult education programme, Khari Gude, which has reached more than 2,2 million people between 2008 and 2011.
We also continue to encourage people from all walks never to stop learning. Many were inspired when accomplished musician and my special guest, Mr Sipho Hotstix Mabuse obtained his matric last year, at the age of 60.
Honourable Members,
We declared education as an apex priority in 2009. We want to see everyone in the country realising that education is an essential service for our nation.
By saying education is an essential service we are not taking away the Constitutional rights of teachers as workers such as the right to strike.
It means we want the education sector and society as a whole to take education more seriously than is happening currently.
All successful societies have one thing in common – they invested in education. Decent salaries and conditions of service will play an important role in attracting, motivating and retaining skilled teachers.
In this regard, we will establish a Presidential Remuneration Commission which will investigate the appropriateness of the remuneration and conditions of service provided by the State to all its employees.
I have directed that the first priority should be teachers.
The Commission will also assess the return on investment.
In elevating education to its rightful place, we want to see an improvement in the quality of learning and teaching and the management of schools. We want to see an improvement in attitudes, posture and outcomes.
Working with educators, parents, the community and various stakeholders, we will be able to turn our schools into centres of excellence.
Honourable Members,
Five years ago, South Africa had such a low life expectancy that experts suggested that by 2015, our life expectancy would have been exactly where it was in 1955.
It was with good reason that we were delighted when late last year, studies from the Medical Research Council, the Lancet medical journal and others began reporting a dramatic increase in life expectancy from an average baseline of 56 years in 2009 to 60 years in 2011. These reports also noted significant decreases in infant and under five mortality.
Increased life expectancy is a key to the country’s development. People are returning to work, they are being productive, economically and socially. The family structure is increasingly stable and parents live longer and are able to take care of their children.
We should not become complacent, in light of these achievements.
Given the high co-infection rate between HIV and TB, we have integrated these services.
Work is also continuing on the research side. South Africa has discovered a candidate drug to treat Malaria.
In addition, researchers at the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa consortium, also discovered broad neutralising antibodies against HIV.
Deputy President Motlanthe has appointed new members of the South African National Aids Council Trust. We congratulate the team, which is led by retired Judge Zac Yacoob, as chairperson.
Diseases of lifestyle are on an alarming increase. We have to combat and lower the levels of smoking, harmful effects of alcohol, poor diets and obesity.
Honourable members,
In 2014 we will create the National Health Insurance Fund. The Department of Health will accelerate and intensify progress in the pilot districts.
In that regard, as from April this year, the first group of approximately 600 private medical practitioners will be contracted to provide medical services at 533 clinics within villages and townships in 10 of the pilot districts.
Compatriots and friends,
In June we will mark the centenary of the 1913 Land Act which turned black people into wanderers, labourers and pariahs in their own land.
Former ANC President Sefako Makgatho outlined as such in his 1919 ANC conference presidential address.
He said;
“The Native Land Act still operates as mercilessly in different parts of the Union, and as a result many native families are still working for white farmers only for their food’’.
We are also honoured, in this year of the anniversary of the 1913 Land Act, to have present among us, Mrs Nomhlangano Beauty Mkhize, one of the veterans who together with her husband, Saul Mkhize, led the struggle against forced removals in Driefontein and Daggaskraal, in the present Mpumalanga Province.
The land question is a highly emotive matter.
We need to resolve it amicably within the framework of the Constitution and the law.
I received a message on Facebook from Thulani Zondi who raised his concern about the slow pace of land redistribution. He said: “Mr President, as we are commemorating 100 years since the Land act of 1913 was introduced to dispossess the African majority.
“I urge you to accelerate redistribution of the land to the landless African people.
“When we do the redistribution we need to be mindful of food security. Training and mentorship of emerging black commercial farmers must take place”.
From 1994, we have been addressing the land reform problem through restitution, redistribution and tenure reform.
As stated before, we will not be able to meet our redistribution targets.
Government’s mid-term review last year revealed a number of shortcomings in our land reform implementation programme. We will use those lessons to improve implementation.
Firstly, we must shorten the time it takes to finalise a claim. In this regard, Government will now pursue the ‘just and equitable’ principle for compensation, as set out in the Constitution instead of the “willing buyer, willing seller” principle, which forces the state to pay more for land than the actual value.
Secondly there are proposed amendments to the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 in order to provide for the re-opening of the lodgement of restitution claims, by people who missed the deadline of 31 December 1998.
Also to be explored, are exceptions to the June 1913 cut-off date to accommodate claims by the descendants of the Khoi and San as well as heritage sites and historical landmarks.
Another key lesson is to provide adequate post-settlement support to new landowners so that land continues to be productive.
We also need to provide better incentives for commercial farmers that are willing and capable of mentoring smallholder farmers.
Another challenge we have faced is the preference for money instead of land by some claimants, which also does not help us to change land ownership patterns.
As part of the Presidency stakeholder engagement programme ahead of the State of the Nation Address, Deputy President Motlanthe held a meeting with both farmers and farm workers in Paarl on Tuesday.
Stakeholders agreed that there should be peace and stability in the agriculture sector and that the living and working conditions of farm workers should be improved urgently.
It is also encouraging that even the farmers called for the fast tracking of land reform and support to emerging farmers.
We will continue the engagement with both farmers and farm workers.
Compatriots and friends,
We should also remain mindful of rapid urbanisation that is taking place. The Census Statistics reveal that 63% of the population are living in urban areas. This is likely to increase to over 70% by 2030.
Apartheid spatial patterns still persist in our towns and cities. Municipalities alone cannot deal with the challenges. We need a national approach.
While rural development remains a priority of government, it is crucial that we also develop a national integrated urban development framework to assist municipalities to effectively manage rapid urbanisation.
As part of implementing the National Development Plan, all three spheres of government need to manage the new wave of urbanisation in ways that also contribute to rural development.
Honourable Members,
Improving the status of women remains a critical priority for this government.
The Bill on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment has been approved by Cabinet for public comment. The Bill criminalizes practices that have adverse effects on women and girls.
It also legislates the 50/50 policy position with regard to the representation of women in decision making structures.
Honourable members,
The brutal gang rape and murder of Anene Booysen and other women and girls in recent times has brought into sharp focus the need for unity in action to eradicate this scourge.
The brutality and cruelty meted out to defenceless women is unacceptable and has no place in our country. Last year the National Council on Gender Based Violence was established.
It comprises government, non-governmental Organizations, Community-Based Organizations, Faith-Based organizations, academia, research institutions, government, men’s groupings, and representation from women, children and persons with disabilities.
We urge this coordinating structure to make the campaign of fighting violence against women an everyday campaign.
We applaud all sectors for the campaigns that have taken place already, highlighting that such acts will not be tolerated.
I have directed law enforcement agencies to treat these cases with the utmost urgency and importance. The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units, which were re-established in 2010, have increased personnel.
During the last financial year, the Units secured over 363 life sentences, with a conviction rate of 73% for crimes against women above 18 years old and 70% for crimes against children under 18 years of age.
Masibhunkule sisebenze sonke, silwe nalenkinga esibhekene nayo yabantu abadlwengula omame nezingane, ngisho nezalukazi imbala. Ihlazo nobunswelaboya obesabekayo lokhu abakwenzayo. Izigilamkhuba kufanele zibikwe emaphoyiseni ziboshwe.
Government is adding other mechanisms to protect women, such as the Protection from Harassment Bill. While the Domestic Violence Act also provides protection, it only applies to persons who are in a domestic relationship.
The Protection from Harassment Bill also deals with harassment by persons who stalk their victims by means of electronic communications.
In addition, the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill was passed by the National Assembly last year and is now at the National Council of Provinces.
Once implemented, the law will assist women and children, who are often victims of this heinous crime.
Compatriots and friends,
There is increased visibility of the police which contributes to the reduction in the levels of serious crime.
The operations focusing on illegal firearms, stolen and robbed vehicles, liquor and drugs which are regarded as main generators of crime have assisted in crime reduction.
Compatriots and friends,
Government continues to wage a war against corruption.
The capacity of the Special Investigating Unit has grown from an initial 70 staff members to more than 600 at present.
I have since 2009, signed 34 proclamations directing the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption, fraud or maladministration in various government departments and state entities.
Criminal Investigations were initiated against 203 accused persons in 67 priority cases under investigation by the end September 2012.
In total, pre-trial proceedings have been initiated against 191 persons. A total of 66 persons under investigation are alleged to have received R5 million or more benefits through corruption. Freezing Orders were obtained against 46 persons.
In other successes, in the past financial year, 107 officials working within the criminal justice system were convicted.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit seized assets valued at more than R541 million. A total of R61 million of these assets have already been forfeited to the State. The assets are channelled back to fighting crime and corruption through the Criminal Asset Recovery Account.
Last year, additional funding of R150 million from the Criminal Assets Recovery Account was approved for the work of the Anti-Corruption Task Team which comprises the Hawks, the Special Investigating Unit and the National Prosecuting Authority.
These resources are aimed at strengthening the capacity of these law enforcement agencies in our resolve to fight corruption.
We urge the private sector to also take this fight against corruption seriously so that we tackle it from all angles.
To further boost the fight against corruption, we will fill all vacant posts at the upper echelons of the criminal justice system.
Compatriots and friends,
Honourable Members,
There are some lessons from Marikana and other incidents that we cannot allow to recur in our country.
Our Constitution is truly one of our greatest national achievements. Everything that we do as a government is guided by our Constitution and its vision of the society we are building.
We call on all citizens to celebrate, promote and defend our Constitution.
Our Bill of Rights guarantees that “everyone has the right, peacefully and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions”.
We therefore call on our people to exercise their rights to protest in a peaceful and orderly manner.
It is unacceptable when people’s rights are violated by perpetrators of violent actions, such as actions that lead to injury and death of persons, damage to property and the destruction of valuable public infrastructure.
We are duty bound to uphold, defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic. We will spare no effort in doing so.
For this reason, I have instructed the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster to put measures in place, with immediate effect, to ensure that any incidents of violent protest are acted upon, investigated and prosecuted.
Courts will be allocated to deal with such cases on a prioritised roll. The law must be enforced and it must be seen to be enforced - fairly, effectively and expeditiously.
The citizens of our country have a right to expect that their democratic state will exercise its authority in defence of the Constitution that so many struggled so long and hard for. We cannot disappoint this expectation.
The JCPS Cluster has therefore put measures in place at national, provincial and local level to deal with such incidents effectively.
Let me hasten to add that government departments at all levels must work closely with communities and ensure that all concerns are attended to before they escalate. That responsibility remains. We are a caring government.
Honourable Members,
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Organization of African Unity which has been succeeded by the African Union.
We pay tribute to the OAU for its relentless struggle for the decolonization of our continent, including contributing to our own freedom.
We will continue to work for a stronger and more effective organization of our Union.
The NEPAD programme as well as the African Peer Review Mechanism have just celebrated their tenth year of existence.
As the convener of the NEPAD Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative, South Africa continues to work with other champions to implement high impact infrastructure projects in the continent.
On peace and security, we stand by the people of Mali in their effort to claim and assert the territorial integrity of their country.
We urge the leadership in the Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau and Somalia to continue their march towards lasting peace for the sake of their people. We remain firmly opposed to unconstitutional change of government.
We are encouraged by the developments between Sudan and South Sudan. We commend our former President Thabo Mbeki and other members of the AU High Level Panel for the dedicated manner in which they have been working with the two sides.
We are in solidarity with the DRC as the country battles the menace to its security.
South Africa will continue supporting Africa's peace efforts including through mediation, troop contribution for peace keeping, and by providing material and financial assistance.
In this regard, we look forward to the conclusion of political dialogues in Zimbabwe and Madagascar.
Our vision of a better Africa in a better world will receive great impetus when we host the 5 BRICS Summit next month in Durban.
We are inspired by the exponential growth of bilateral relations, diplomatically and economically, between South Africa and other BRICS countries.
Strengthening North-South relations remains central to our foreign policy agenda.
We reaffirm our partnership with countries of the North, especially the USA, Europe and Japan.
The UN’s 70th anniversary provides an opportunity to take forward the transformation of the UN Security Council.
We shall continue to use the G20 to represent the aspirations of the people of Africa and push for the transformation of Bretton Woods institutions.
South Africa’s internationalism has a strong element of solidarity to it. We stand with the people of Palestine as they strive to turn a new leaf in their struggle for their right to self-determination; hence we supported their bid for statehood.
The expansion of Israeli settlements into Palestinian territories is a serious stumbling block to the resolution of the conflict.
The right of self determination for the people of Western Sahara has to be realised.
We remain firm in our call for the lifting of the economic embargo against Cuba.
Working together we can do more to create a better Africa and a better world.
Compatriots,
In the year 2012, we focused on preserving and promoting our country’s cultural heritage with particular emphasis on our liberation heritage.
We also hosted a historic National Summit on Social Cohesion, focusing on building a socially inclusive, caring and proud nation.
In the implementation of our programme we will work with our Social Cohesion Advocates; eminent South Africans drawn from a variety of sectors within our society.
We are proud to have in our midst this evening, two of our eminent social cohesion advocates, Judge Yvonne Mokgoro and Advocate George Bizos.
Compatriots,
This year marks the 50 anniversary of the Raid on Liliesleaf Farm, the Escape from Marshall Square as well as the Start of the Rivonia Trial.
A series of events are being planned throughout the year to mark the three events, culminating in a national commemoration on the 11 of July.
Honourable Members
We have just concluded a highly successful Africa Cup of Nations tournament. We extend hearty congratulations to the African champions, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also to all participating teams for their contribution to showcasing the standard of African football.
We thank all our people for being excellent hosts and fans.
I had the opportunity to personally thank CAF President Honourable Issa Hayatou for affording us the honour of hosting the AFCON.
Compatriots and friends,
As I said earlier, this programme of action will be implemented differently as the activities of departments must be aligned with the National Development Plan.
Compatriots,
Before concluding, let me take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of struggle stalwart and prominent human rights lawyer, Comrade Phyllis Naidoo who passed on today.
Only recently, we lost Comrade Amina Cachalia.
We are truly saddened by the loss.
Honourable Members,
Compatriots,
As South Africans, we should continue to have one primary goal - to make our country a truly great and prosperous nation.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
I thank you.
Racist Must Visit Cemetery
Zama Khumalo
When Zama Khumalo updated his Facebook status on January 24 he never thought it would elicit a huge public outcry.The 24-year-old unemployed journalist yesterday apologised during mediation facilitated by the SA Human Rights Commission, in Johannesburg.
The Facebook update that enraged many was in "celebration" of the 42 white schoolchildren were killed in the Westdene bus tragedy on March 27 1985, three years before Khumalo was born.
The commission was approached between February 6 and 13 by members of the public .
Khumalo posted that he was planning a "Big Black Braai" at which blacks could celebrate the lives lost.
Khumalo - after mediation by the Human Rights Commission's Gauteng manager, Chantal Kisoon - said he accepted the terms of the agreement between him and the complainants.
"I acknowledge the hurt and pain that I have caused as a result of the comments made on my Facebook profile, which were made in a state of anger and disappointment," he said.
As part of his apology, Khumalo will post an update status on his Facebook page. He is also required to visit Westpark Cemetery, where many of the children were buried, and place flowers on the graves.
Khumalo is a former employee of The Daily Sun . The newspaper has undertaken to monitor his Facebook page "for a reasonable time" to ensure that he removes "all unlawful comments within a reasonable period of time".
The use of social networks, said the Human Rights Commission's Kisoon, came with responsibility.
"People should, before engaging with others on the internet, ask themselves of the consequences of their actions and ensure that they are clear about what the law expects of them."
Kisoon referred to a recent judgment in the Johannesburg High Court in which the judge commented on the harm posts on social media could have on a reputation.
The case before the judge involved an update a woman had posted in reference to a male friend.
Kisoon said there had been an increase in the number of complaints made to the commission as a result of comments made on social media.
She said racial remarks were of particular concern.
"Considering our history and where we come from, it would be very naïve to think that race issues do not affect us. We all need to work together to achieve national harmony."
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/02/15/racist-must-visit-cemetery
How Dare You?
JACOB ZUMA, HOW DARE YOU!?
Hannes Engelbrecht (BKA)
Never before in history was the farce of what South Africa had become more evident than in yesterday’s State of the Nation address by “President” Jacob Zuma. The mumbling “President” obviously did not even go to the trouble of reading his speech beforehand as he struggled to read it out loud and mispronounced numerous words. It was a slap in the face of 50 million people.
But more so than his incoherent speech, was what he was trying to talk about:
• Gender equality was high on the agenda, with women’s rights a central theme. Yet, the “President” himself rules like a monarch over his four wives and one betrothed.
• Education was to be reformed – said the “President” who holds a Standard 3 certificate.
• Agriculture and land reform are key areas – said the “President” who earlier had admitted to being a herd boy for his grandfather’s goats in the Natal hills.
• Violence against women and children must be addressed – said the “President” who himself had been charged with rape and had escaped conviction when the complainant fled to Great Britain because of threats to her life.
• Corruption must be ended – said the President who manipulated the demise of the Scorpions during their investigation against him and Shabir Shaik; and who is desperately trying to keep the Arms Deal out of court.
• Crime and violence are top priorities – said the “President” who himself was the Head of Intelligence of Umkhonto we Sizwe during the reign of terror, deaths and torture in the ANC hell camps like Quattro.
• The economy is important – said the “President” who is building himself a grand R450 million Presidential Palace at Nkandla.
How dare you, Jacob Zuma?
How dare you stand in front of Parliament and address millions of people with a smile on your face?
How dare you not even try to hide your underlying smirks that Apartheid and the whites are to blame for all the country’s ills?
You never said it out loud – but the underhand implications were there for everyone to see.
A clown in a second-rate circus couldn’t have done it better…
Where was the outcry when…?
Mike Smith
9th of February 2013
Anene Booysen, the victim of a cruel and gruesome rape and murder, was laid to rest in Bredasdorp today. Buried in a white coffin with pink flowers…hundreds of people attended her funeral.
R.I.P. Anene. Anene Booysen’s funeral
A coloured girl in SA is brutally raped and murdered and it makes international headlines. The UN’s chief on human rights, Navi Pillay was outraged at the pandemic of sexual violence in South Africa. UN human rights chief 'outraged' at 'pandemic of sexual violence' in SA
And so she should be…
But now I see the DA and Cosatu wants to march against rape in Bredasdorp and lay a wreath. Bredasdorp: DA and Cosatu to march against rape
What is it they hope to achieve with this march? Raise awareness? Remember these are the same idiots who wear little red ribbons and believe it will bring down AIDS.
But count on a bunch of opportunistic, low-life liberal idiots and scumbag Socialists to score cheap political points out of a gruesome rape and murder of a 17 year old girl.
Last year May, when the five month old white baby Wiehan Botes of Delmas was strangled to death by black savages, thrown under a bed like a rag doll and his white daycare mother Maghrieta de Goede brutally murdered…where was the DA and Cosatu then?
I will tell you...
When a few Boers marched and protested against the murders outside the Delmas courthouse, the DA went and laid charges of “racism” against them. DA laid charges of racism against protesting Boers
When little Willemientjie Potgieter (2) had to watch these savages brutally kill her mommy and daddy…when she was picked up by her hair and shot in the back of the head…where was the outcry from the DA and Cosatu?
Not a word. Not when it is a white person brutally raped, tortured and murdered in South Africa.
Where is the outcry over Carmen van der Westhuizen, brutally hacked to death with a machete and stabbed several times in the back of her head…In her own home? She was not on the street at 3 o’clock in the morning? Neither was Willemientjie and her parents?
When an old woman of Naboomspruit, called Hettie Janse van Rensburg was attacked by these savages and had four of her fingers cut off by pruning shears…When they hacked her husband Theuns to within an inch of his life with a Panga and then laid next to him on the bed watching television….where was the outcry and the marches from the DA? The attack on Hettie and Theuns Janse van Rensburg
When the twelve year old Portuguese boy Amaro Viana of Walkerville, Johannesburg had to witness his father Tony tied up by these savages, then stabbed , hacked with a panga and beaten to death with a golf club…when they then raped his mother Geraldine, shot her with the father’s gun and slit open the dog’s stomach…When they then gagged the crying Amaro and drowned him in a bathtub of boiling hot water…Where was the outcry and marches from the DA and Cosatu? South African 12-year-old drowned in boiling water after seeing parents killed
Oh I see! The victims were all white.
The list goes on and on. Thousands of whites brutally murdered by black terrorist savages on a daily basis in South Africa. Not a peep from the political parties. No international headlines. No outcry from the UN human rights chief…Nothing!
No. It is up to a handful of bloggers like myself to bring these atrocities to the attention of the world.
None of the political parties gives a flying hoot when a white person gets attacked and killed. No political points to score, you see?
But just let a coloured girl get raped and killed and you will see the media, political parties and unions go into a histerical frenzy.
Totalitarian tiptoeing with useless communist laws for SA - Part Two
Mike Smith
13th of February 2013
One thing that makes me hate these Commie bastards so much…that makes me want to puke, is their two-faced ambiguity also known as “Double-speak”.
They come under the guise of “Freedom” and “Liberation”, but the moment they are in charge, what follows is slavery and shackling under a Communist yoke.
Actually it is cunning. It is deception. It is a con trick that one can almost have respect for. I am not sure if I am pissed off with the Communists themselves or with the idiots who fall for their deceptive crap. Probably both.
Fact is that the Communists never bring “Freedom” the way we understand it.
In fact, from the very first moment they are in charge, they start to wage a war against the people.
They start to undermine their civil rights, rape their liberties and murder their human rights.
The Communists push the head of civilization under water and make them struggle for every breath.
They terrorize the people and make them constantly “struggle” for life. That is the TRUE meaning of the word, “Struggle” in the Communist Lexicon. It is nothing but a terrorist campaign against the civilian population.
With them the terrorism never stops. It is the same before, “Liberation” (the day they come to power) and thereafter. The terror just takes on another form, but it never goes away.
The moment the ANC came to power, they carried on with their terrorist campaign, not just against the whites, because it was never against whites alone, their bombs killed indiscriminately.
Their “Necklace killings” were directed at BLACKS, most were their own supporters, “Suspected” of collaboration with the “enemy”.
The people tortured, raped and killed in their death camps (like Quattro) in Angola, were their own supporters, “suspected” of treason.
As I have mentioned in my previous post, this is what they want to turn South Africa into. A gigantic Quattro Hellhole where they can arrest, rape, torture and murder people simply on the mere suspicion of being a traitor against them or a collaborator with “rebels”.
At first, when they came to power in 1994, they marginalized the white minority by introducing Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment. They effectively disenfranchised whites from any and all power positions in the country under a cover of deception known as, “redressing past injustices”…their own “past injustices” were forgotten.
They tried to implement their “Secrecy Bill” where anybody “suspected” of whistle blowing or exposing their corruption could be imprisoned for 25 years.
Then they proceeded at dumbing down the nation with their education policies that ruined education in South Africa and reduced the intelligentsia that could pose a threat to them to basically zero.
This was different to the normal Communist practice of simply putting the intelligentsia up against a wall and shooting them.
That was the style and ideas of the Young Marx. The Older Marx admitted that Communist goals can, rather that hardcore revolution, be achieved through changing legislation under democratic conditions.
That is what we see now; the more subtle, mature Marxism, the Fabian Socialism creeping onto society being employed under pretence of “Democracy”, but never losing sight of The Ten Planks of Communism as described in section II of the Communist Manifesto (page 35/36).
According to Marx and Engels there are ten things that will have to be introduced before full blown communism is realized. They are:
1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all right of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of the population over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form and combination of education with industrial production.
Now…Take note of Plank One and Plank Four… especially Plank Four…
“Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels…”
In South Africa, in the books of the Marxist ANC and Communists, who do you think these “Immigrants” and “Rebels” are??
Now take note of their recent Bill where foreigners won’t be able to own any land in South Africa.Foreigners will not own land says South African Land Reform Minister
“Foreign nationals will no longer be able to own land in South Africa once government's land policy is finalised and passed into law, Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti said on Tuesday.”
I hope none of you people who own, houses, farms or businesses in South Africa have any British, Portuguese, Greek or Israeli passports…because that is YOU he means there…
To start off with, that is….
Once they have stolen all the property of the “foreign” nationals, they will continue onto those they consider “Rebels”…
That means anybody who is not a card carrying member of the ANC….
And…Once they have all that property, “Rebels” will be anyone who goes against Big Brother, until he has everything.
So if Big Brother at the time is a Xhosa...Zulus, Swazis, Sothos, Tswanas, et al will be having a hard time holding on to their property.
And remember that “property” does not only mean a house our farm…it means ALL property, including your car and furniture...Even the shirt on your back.
Further…take a note at Communist Plank number Nine. The one that reads…
9. “Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of the population over the country.”
Now where did I see that recently…let me think…Ah yes…It was over here! South African Textile and Clothing Worker’s Union pledges R1 million to farm workers union
You see what I mean? The ANC appears stupid and incompetent on the surface, but at their helm are a few people who are hardcore Marxists who know the agenda and who are dictated to by the Communist Intelligentsia in the SA Communist Party.
They are not stupid. They know exactly what they are doing. We must see this holistically, not as individual decisions. Every move they make is the advancement of one tooth in the gear of a massive machine called Communist Totalitarianism.
These creatures were handed a master plan of anarchy and misery by Marx and Engels; A plan to come to power and stay in power for ever, namely the Communist Manifesto.
It does not take a genius to see what this filth is up to in South Africa. All you need to do is read their “Bible” and their “Ten Commandments” and you will know exactly what they are “struggling” for.
Their plan is a win-win plan for them.
When they wage war on the people with their Communist legislation and they meet no resistance they win, because their plan will be implemented unopposed.
If the people oppose their plan, they will be so busy fighting the legislation that they will lose complete track of what they should be doing in the first place; Get rid of the Marxist trash.
Whilst the people fight the legislation, the stealing and raping of the country’s assets go unnoticed…Like Zuma said…until Jesus comes.
Expect more of this legislation in the future. Keep your eyes on their aims and goals, because they will not stop until South Africa is a full blown Communist state like North Korea or until…we implement the SOLUTION.
http://mikesmithspoliticalcommentary.blogspot.de/2013/02/totalitarian-tiptoeing-with-useless_13.html
Totalitarian tiptoeing with useless communist laws for SA- Part One
13th of February 2013
Part one of a two part miniseries:
Let me show you at the hand of two recent Bills how the ANC Marxist filth is stripping away our power and consolidating it in their own hands.
First up is the Dangerous Weapons Bill
Let me start off by saying it bluntly and in simple English. If this bill gets passed we are Royally Phuqed!
Even the DA liberal twats, like Dianne Kohler Barnard are falling for this bill.
In this Bill, a “Dangerous weapon is defined :
"As the bill now stands, a dangerous weapon is an object, other than a firearm, designed as a weapon and capable of producing death or serious bodily harm,” said Kohler Barnard.
She said the bill would prevent people from carrying dangerous weapons or objects which could be used to injure someone or damage property during public gatherings.
“After the violent protests of the last year this is a very welcome move.”
I kid you not. She actually said it. “A very welcome move”.
Whose side is the DA actually on?
Does she think the ANC wants to use this law to prevent uppity blacks from carrying weapons? How stupidly naïve can this LWB be? She must have rocks for brains.
According to the definition of a “dangerous weapon” someone carrying a marshmallow can be arrested, because I can shove a marshmallow down her throat and she will choke to death.
Jeez, man…I won’t be able to sweep my driveway anymore, because if I shove my broom handle up her arse it might be considered a dangerous weapon.
See where I am going with this? ANYTHING can be a “dangerous weapon” According to this Law it just has to LOOK like or be “mistaken for” a “dangerous weapon” then you can be arrested or even worse, SHOT!!
The bill reads: “any person who is in possession of any dangerous weapon or firearm, replica or imitation firearm under circumstance which may raise a reasonable suspicion that the person intends to use the weapon for an unlawful purpose is guilty of an offence.”
What is “Reasonable Suspicion”?
What is reasonable to me might not be reasonable to a policeman and from past experiences we know that the ANC are not reasonable people.
So you can be arrested on a mere suspicion of committing a crime. Not whether you HAVE committed a crime.
Can you see where this will lead to? You will be driving down the road in your car when suddenly you are being stopped, surrounded and kidnapped by the Stasi-like thought police on the “Suspicion” that you wanted to use your car as a “dangerous weapon”.
This law, together with the Fire Arms Control Act will effectively disarm the civilians of South Africa.
The only ones who will then have arms will be the government, the criminals and those the government give arms to, like their NARYSEC youth brigades they have secretly been training. When that happens, you have Totalitarianism.
http://mikesmithspoliticalcommentary.blogspot.de/2013/02/totalitarian-tiptoeing-with-useless.html
Corruption is a plague at the heart of our democracy.
Zuma should know better than to speak like this - Buthelezi
Mangosuthu Buthelezi
17 January 2013
Dear friends and fellow South Africans,
We have kicked off 2013 with the President of South Africa publically endorsing corruption.
Last week, as the ANC celebrated its 101st anniversary with a gala dinner and auction in Durban, President Zuma assured the deep-pocketed gathering that businessmen who become ANC members will see their fortunes multiplying. ".your business will multiply.
Everything you touch will multiply. I've always said that a wise businessperson will support the ANC. because supporting the ANC means you're investing very well in your business."
Unsurprisingly, the night's auction raised R21.4 million for the ANC. This was clearly a promise of "you rub my back and I'll rub yours", and the tenderpreneurs must have been rubbing their hands with glee.
Opposition parties were quick to point out that this statement by the country's President is embarrassing to say the least, and at worst openly endorses corruption. The ANC's response was that we don't understand African customs; the President was merely wishing businessmen good fortune as a gesture of appreciation for their support. I am an African. In fact, I am the traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation, and I certainly didn't get the impression that the President was saying, "Oh bless your heart for being so generous".
Corruption is a plague at the heart of our democracy. The President should know better than to speak like this. But as the Bible says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
I may be chastised for quoting the Bible, or for openly declaring my Christian faith. It seems, looking at our media, that hostility towards faith-based worldviews is gaining pace. People prefer to speak about inalienable human rights, rather than about issues of morality. Yet for centuries the greatest minds have grappled with the means to balance the rights of all individuals within a society. The problem is not easily solved, because legality cannot adequately replace morality. The two must be brought into harmony.
Let me phrase this in a way that will be more readily accepted. There are specific challenges in South Africa that we need to address; job creation, poverty, service delivery. But underlying all we do is the necessity of shaping a society that is responsible, caring and unselfish. Because, in the end, every good policy is implemented by a human being.
Is it better to have someone doggedly fight for your right to education, or to have someone sit down and teach you? That is the difference between what is purely lawful and what is morally right.
I worry that we have again ignored morality, as though it is a dirty word, in the case of legalizing consensual sex between children. The Pretoria High Court ruled this week that children between the ages of 12 and 16 should be legally allowed to have sex with each other.
As a traditional leader, my first duty is to uphold the values and traditional customs of my people. This is certainly not one of our traditions.
I often find that when we ignore morality, we are forced to abandon common sense. The constitutional expert, Professor Pierre de Vos, has argued that "common sense" is nothing more than a reflection of the values of one's immediate circle. I wonder what he makes of Judge Pierre Rabie's strange interpretation of the Sexual Offences Act to mean that a child under 16 cannot be kissed on the mouth when relatives come together and greet each other by kissing. Common sense dictates that the kind of kiss to which Judge Rabie refers is not a sexual act, and thus doesn't fall within the ambit of what the law tries to achieve, which is protecting our children from sexual predators.
Judge Rabie's ruling this week creates a nonsensical situation in which a 17 year old who has sex with a 16 year old is guilty of statutory rape, while a 16 year old can happily have sex with a 12 year old.
Ironically, the applicants in this case were a clinic for abused children and the Centre for Child Law, who feel that consensual sex between 12 year olds should be legal, so that 12 year old girls will be able to come forward and have abortions.
According to the applicants, 12 year olds charged with a criminal offence for having sex would be "severely harmed". But wouldn't having an abortion at the age of 12 also "severely harm" a child? Are children emotionally equipped to make this decision and deal with its psychological consequences?
Of course I agree that it is undesirable for children to get back street abortions. But wouldn't it be far better to prevent our children from having to make this decision in the first place?
We, as the adults, are expressing through legislation the undesirability of children having sex, which would lead to unwanted pregnancies, STDs and HIV/Aids, simply because children are not emotionally or psychologically mature enough to make consistently responsible decisions, and the society they live in is not geared toward family planning for children.
A 12 year old finding themselves pregnant is not in a position either financially or emotionally to accept the responsibilities of becoming a parent. We are talking about children still in primary school. Thus pregnancies are highly unlikely to be planned or wanted.
If we think it's wrong to tell people what they can and can't do when they are in love, why is it illegal for a man to marry his aunt or his mother-in-law? I'm not asking a rhetorical question. I'm asking us to consider the reasonable argument against making this legal.
Likewise there are reasonable arguments supporting legislation that prevent children from driving, voting or drinking before they turn 18. Surely it is common sense that a child who is not considered "old enough" to work, open a bank account, sign legal documents or own property is not "old enough" to understand the consequences of sex, make appropriate moral judgments, exercise wisdom and responsibility, and cope with the emotional fall-out of non-committed relationships.
Would anyone really argue that two 12 year olds can be in a committed relationship with all that entails? We wouldn't even allow them to marry. In fact, they'd need their parents' consent as well as the consent of the Minister of Home Affairs. Why then are we allowing them to have sex?
The question of whether a 12 year old is even capable of understanding the repercussions of agreeing to sex, raises further questions about our responsibility to protect children. If they are intimidated into it, and thus "agree", there can be no basis for protecting them, because it will be considered "consensual sex".
Nevertheless, the applicants welcomed the court's ruling, saying, "It promotes the best interests of children by protecting them from being violated by the criminal justice system." Arguably, if you commit a crime and are prosecuted, you have not been "violated by the criminal justice system".
It might be difficult for a 17 year old to wait another year for a driver's licence. They might feel a strong urge to drive. They might even feel they need to drive. But if they go ahead and drive, they have committed a crime. There are reasons why the law says they must wait, and the consequence of a criminal charge is not just punishment, but deterrent.
Until now, when it comes to sex, we have told our children to wait. The new message is "go ahead, you know best". Surely we are abdicating our responsibility to guide and protect our children.
Yours in the service of our nation,
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP
Issued by the IFP, January 17 2013
We have kicked off 2013 with the President of South Africa publically endorsing corruption.
Last week, as the ANC celebrated its 101st anniversary with a gala dinner and auction in Durban, President Zuma assured the deep-pocketed gathering that businessmen who become ANC members will see their fortunes multiplying. ".your business will multiply.
Everything you touch will multiply. I've always said that a wise businessperson will support the ANC. because supporting the ANC means you're investing very well in your business."
Unsurprisingly, the night's auction raised R21.4 million for the ANC. This was clearly a promise of "you rub my back and I'll rub yours", and the tenderpreneurs must have been rubbing their hands with glee.
Opposition parties were quick to point out that this statement by the country's President is embarrassing to say the least, and at worst openly endorses corruption. The ANC's response was that we don't understand African customs; the President was merely wishing businessmen good fortune as a gesture of appreciation for their support. I am an African. In fact, I am the traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation, and I certainly didn't get the impression that the President was saying, "Oh bless your heart for being so generous".
Corruption is a plague at the heart of our democracy. The President should know better than to speak like this. But as the Bible says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
I may be chastised for quoting the Bible, or for openly declaring my Christian faith. It seems, looking at our media, that hostility towards faith-based worldviews is gaining pace. People prefer to speak about inalienable human rights, rather than about issues of morality. Yet for centuries the greatest minds have grappled with the means to balance the rights of all individuals within a society. The problem is not easily solved, because legality cannot adequately replace morality. The two must be brought into harmony.
Let me phrase this in a way that will be more readily accepted. There are specific challenges in South Africa that we need to address; job creation, poverty, service delivery. But underlying all we do is the necessity of shaping a society that is responsible, caring and unselfish. Because, in the end, every good policy is implemented by a human being.
Is it better to have someone doggedly fight for your right to education, or to have someone sit down and teach you? That is the difference between what is purely lawful and what is morally right.
I worry that we have again ignored morality, as though it is a dirty word, in the case of legalizing consensual sex between children. The Pretoria High Court ruled this week that children between the ages of 12 and 16 should be legally allowed to have sex with each other.
As a traditional leader, my first duty is to uphold the values and traditional customs of my people. This is certainly not one of our traditions.
I often find that when we ignore morality, we are forced to abandon common sense. The constitutional expert, Professor Pierre de Vos, has argued that "common sense" is nothing more than a reflection of the values of one's immediate circle. I wonder what he makes of Judge Pierre Rabie's strange interpretation of the Sexual Offences Act to mean that a child under 16 cannot be kissed on the mouth when relatives come together and greet each other by kissing. Common sense dictates that the kind of kiss to which Judge Rabie refers is not a sexual act, and thus doesn't fall within the ambit of what the law tries to achieve, which is protecting our children from sexual predators.
Judge Rabie's ruling this week creates a nonsensical situation in which a 17 year old who has sex with a 16 year old is guilty of statutory rape, while a 16 year old can happily have sex with a 12 year old.
Ironically, the applicants in this case were a clinic for abused children and the Centre for Child Law, who feel that consensual sex between 12 year olds should be legal, so that 12 year old girls will be able to come forward and have abortions.
According to the applicants, 12 year olds charged with a criminal offence for having sex would be "severely harmed". But wouldn't having an abortion at the age of 12 also "severely harm" a child? Are children emotionally equipped to make this decision and deal with its psychological consequences?
Of course I agree that it is undesirable for children to get back street abortions. But wouldn't it be far better to prevent our children from having to make this decision in the first place?
We, as the adults, are expressing through legislation the undesirability of children having sex, which would lead to unwanted pregnancies, STDs and HIV/Aids, simply because children are not emotionally or psychologically mature enough to make consistently responsible decisions, and the society they live in is not geared toward family planning for children.
A 12 year old finding themselves pregnant is not in a position either financially or emotionally to accept the responsibilities of becoming a parent. We are talking about children still in primary school. Thus pregnancies are highly unlikely to be planned or wanted.
If we think it's wrong to tell people what they can and can't do when they are in love, why is it illegal for a man to marry his aunt or his mother-in-law? I'm not asking a rhetorical question. I'm asking us to consider the reasonable argument against making this legal.
Likewise there are reasonable arguments supporting legislation that prevent children from driving, voting or drinking before they turn 18. Surely it is common sense that a child who is not considered "old enough" to work, open a bank account, sign legal documents or own property is not "old enough" to understand the consequences of sex, make appropriate moral judgments, exercise wisdom and responsibility, and cope with the emotional fall-out of non-committed relationships.
Would anyone really argue that two 12 year olds can be in a committed relationship with all that entails? We wouldn't even allow them to marry. In fact, they'd need their parents' consent as well as the consent of the Minister of Home Affairs. Why then are we allowing them to have sex?
The question of whether a 12 year old is even capable of understanding the repercussions of agreeing to sex, raises further questions about our responsibility to protect children. If they are intimidated into it, and thus "agree", there can be no basis for protecting them, because it will be considered "consensual sex".
Nevertheless, the applicants welcomed the court's ruling, saying, "It promotes the best interests of children by protecting them from being violated by the criminal justice system." Arguably, if you commit a crime and are prosecuted, you have not been "violated by the criminal justice system".
It might be difficult for a 17 year old to wait another year for a driver's licence. They might feel a strong urge to drive. They might even feel they need to drive. But if they go ahead and drive, they have committed a crime. There are reasons why the law says they must wait, and the consequence of a criminal charge is not just punishment, but deterrent.
Until now, when it comes to sex, we have told our children to wait. The new message is "go ahead, you know best". Surely we are abdicating our responsibility to guide and protect our children.
Yours in the service of our nation,
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP
Issued by the IFP, January 17 2013
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