Madam Speaker,
Mr. President,
Honourable Members,
Yesterday, ‘The Star’ newspaper had as its top story on the front page, an article entitled, “Public and analysts warn of another SONA of lies.” It was subtitled, “Critics noted that the President has a history of announcing initiatives that remain unimplemented.” The article went on to say that the President’s ambitious plans include economic growth, job creation, crime reduction and service delivery. Mr. President, in short, they are saying “implement your ambitious plans.”
While the ACDP and most South Africans are relieved that loadshedding seems to have come to an end, we are nevertheless concerned that we now have water-shedding. Pre-1994, many of us looked forward to the fall of Apartheid but did not foresee a new form of suffering that would be caused by poor service delivery and the destruction of our critical infrastructure. We thought the ANC would be wise enough to retain and hire skilled engineers to maintain our water infrastructure—infrastructure that provided our major cities with clean water, while expanding it to other areas. We never imagined that people in cities such as Johannesburg, Sandton, Bedfordview and Germiston would be drinking water that is dirty because of poorly maintained infrastructure. In the 1980s, we had municipalities whose quality of tap water was rated above that of bottled water. Today, sadly, some of those municipalities no longer provide such quality of water.
Speaker, among the Chapter 9 State Institutions supporting Constitutional Democracy is the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Commission). The primary objectives of this Commission are: (a) to promote respect for the rights of cultural, religious and linguistic communities, and (b) to promote and develop peace, friendship, humanity, tolerance and national unity among different communities.
Mr. President, I want to submit to you that the CRL Commission has failed to promote respect, or promote and develop peace and tolerance among different cultural, religious and linguistic communities. They have, instead, gone to great lengths to attempt to regulate religion—something the ACDP totally rejects. In one of the interviews given by the CRL Commission Chairperson, Mrs. Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, said, “This thing called Christianity must be regulated.” We want her to retract that statement and be reprimanded. In a different interview, Mrs. Xaluva was recorded saying that anyone who says that God spoke to them must be taken to a psychiatric ward. Again, this is insulting. Some of us are here because the Lord spoke to us and that does not mean we qualify to go to a psychiatric ward! So, this, Mr. President is offensive. Mrs. Xaluva should be reminded that Jesus said, “He will build His Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The ACDP calls for her divisive utterances that undermine Constitutional values, and her fitness to serve as CRL Commission Chairperson, to be investigated. We also call for an investigation into the process followed to establish the Section 22 Committee, and whether the Committee was properly established and members of the committee were involved in the process, or just appointed by one individual? This Parliament should be made aware of reasons that led to the resignation of the former Committee Chairperson, Rev. Prof. Musa Xulu, so that his grievances are not repeated.
The ACDP strongly rejects any attempt (subtle or otherwise) by an individual, group or hater of the Church to regulate it. This is not to suggest that church leaders are above the law. Where some have been found to have committed a crime or to have abused their position, sufficient laws and oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure they were criminally charged or dealt with. Regulation is, therefore, not necessary in our view – but a good justice system is. We all know what happened with the shocking Omotoso case where, due to a very shoddy and flawed process, the NPA failed his victims and he escaped justice. This should never be allowed to happen again.
Speaker, the President, in concluding his State of the Nation Address, said, “Our schools and hospitals should make no distinction between those arriving at their doors.” This surprises me, as we are well aware of the confrontations that have happened at schools and hospitals where people were fighting over free resources. Illegal immigrants have been suspected of receiving free access to education and health care, when our own citizens are struggling. Would the honourable President expound on his statement, particularly where it potentially impacts our citizens?
Mr. President, speculation and frustration continue to grow over unanswered questions surrounding what really happened at Phala Phala. It seems to many that this matter has quietly been swept under the carpet without due diligence having been seen to have been done to thoroughly investigate the matter, including whether or not you were ever interviewed in this regard. The Constitutional Court is also yet to make a ruling on this. Could you update this House on the matter, and where the process currently stands?
Lastly, I wish once again to urge Government to do more about the plight of Christians in Africa who are being slaughtered by Jihadists. A recent headline by David Patrikarakos in the UK’s Daily Mail reads: “They roasted the pastor and his wife alive. We heard their screams. Churches burned, fields destroyed and families slaughtered … the Nigerian Christians brutalised by jihadists and the horrors I saw.”
What is South Africa doing to help protect the vulnerable in these countries from this terrifying onslaught?
I thank you.
