Deputy Speaker
According to the Founding Provisions of our Constitution, the Republic of South Africa is one sovereign, democratic state, founded on, among other things, values such as human dignity, the achievement of equality, and the advancement of human rights and freedoms.
The theme of this year’s Freedom Day celebrations was “Being united in our resilience to advance social and economic justice and to defend South Africa’s democratic order and sovereignty.” I believe a more accurate theme would have been “Counting our democratic losses” as there is enough evidence to prove that as a nation, we are regressing and not progressing.
When asked by journalists about how they were going to celebrate Freedom Day, the vast majority of despondent respondents said there was still nothing to celebrate as the cost of living has skyrocketed.
Frustrations due to poor service delivery is cited by most respondents as the reason that they have nothing to celebrate.
Speaker, I have to commend Hon. Ashley Sauls, who, when questioning the Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Free State’s Central University of Technology (CUT) during a Higher Education committee meeting about their staff composition, exposed a very sad practice happening at that university.
What I found to be totally unacceptable was to hear that the Vice Chancellor of the University chooses foreigners over qualified South Africans. The one example that stayed with me was that of Prof. Dr. Noluntu Mpekoa, a black professional woman who was denied a position she qualified for. Instead, the CUT appointed a foreigner to the position. This, honourable Deputy Speaker, is not acceptable, and should be investigated. Corrective action must be taken to ensure that there is no repetition of the injustice done to Professor Mpekoa.
The GNU must also address the shortage of skills in this country by developing and giving more training to locals in different fields.
How can people celebrate freedom when their human dignity, human rights and freedoms are undermined by poverty caused by high unemployment, corruption, red tape and government inefficiency? Citizens, particularly women and children, are not free to enjoy their communities, or walk the streets without fear of being attacked and raped. Parents are concerned by reports of children being kidnapped at schools and ransoms being demanded by the criminals who kidnapped them.
The ACDP looks forward to our nation progressing unhindered by corruption and incompetence: to see our economy growing, more people employed, living standards improving, criminals successfully prosecuted and punished, and our young people protected from drugs to enable them to help contribute towards making our nation the most peaceful, prosperous and winning nation.
I thank you.
