Why President Zuma must go: Maimane
The Democratic Alliance (DA) continued to push a motion to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate a charge of impeachment against President Zuma.
The charge is based on the violation of both international and domestic law by the government when it facilitated Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s escape from South Africa earlier this year, the political party said.
Mmusi Maimane, federal leader of the DA has also accused the ANC government of becoming ‘the enemy of freedom’.
He said that South Africa is facing an unprecedented economic crisis, with economic growth for 2014 falling to 1.4% and is forecast to grow at only 2% for 2015.
For ordinary South Africans, the cost of living continues to rise.
“But this economic crisis is really about one thing: jobs, or the lack thereof. Without jobs, freedom is limited. The new inequality is between those who work and those who do not,” Maimane said in an address to Parliament.
The real cost of the economic crisis is the freedom of the 8.4 million South Africans who are unemployed.
Plainly stated, one in every three South Africans is unable to find work, the DA lead said.
“Of even greater concern is that, of those who are unemployed, two in every three are young people. 70% of these unemployed young people are black South Africans.
“Young, black South Africans who are not enjoying the benefits of freedom,”Maimane said.
Read: Who will succeed Zuma as SA president?
Zuma has failed SA
Maimane said that President Jacob Zuma has failed these South Africans with unemployment not having dropped below 30% since he took office.
“His promises and his plans do not put food on the table nor pay for an education, while the corruption of his government deprives citizens of basic services.”
The DA said that instead of taking responsibility, the president blames global economic conditions.
“But the figures simply do not support this argument, a fact acknowledged by the ANC in an internal discussion document prepared for their upcoming National General Council (NGC).
“The fact of the matter is that the economic crisis we are facing is a direct result of the failure of the ANC government,” Maimane said.
He noted that under the current government’s watch:
- Minister Gigaba introduced job-killing visa regulations and now attempts to repair the damage through another ineffectual Inter-Ministerial Committee.
- The energy crisis has gone from bad to worse, with Medupi and Kusile now delayed by a further 2 years.
- The country is now seeing water shedding on top of load shedding as infrastructure collapses due to mismanagement and corruption.
- Investors have been scared off by threats of expropriation and uncertainty regarding empowerment polices.
- A R1 trillion nuclear deal is being negotiated with Russia.
“This government has become the enemy of freedom by denying those South Africans who desire to live a life of value the opportunity to do so,” Maimane said.
The DA said that the South African economy has the potential to reach 5 to 8% growth over the long term and halve unemployment.
Government has a responsibility to provide economic leadership in order to stimulate growth, it said.
It must create the conditions that will create jobs, including reliable infrastructure, a skilled labour force, a legislative and regulatory framework that supports and incentivises job creation, and policy certainty that attracts investment.
“President Zuma’s government has failed us in this regard. This corrupt enemy of freedom has created this economic crisis,” Maimane said.
“The solution lies in replacing this corrupt government with a champion of truly inclusive freedom.”
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