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President Cyril Ramaphosa cannot bring about change. This is what the Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said on Monday when he presented the party’s review of Ramaphosa’s first 100 days in office.
Saturday will mark 100 days in office for the president, who assumed office on February 15 this year.
The review, presented in Johannesburg on Monday, painted a scathing picture of Ramaphosa’s close ties to former president Jacob Zuma, whose “turmoil he eventually inherited”.
“Indeed the bar was set so pitifully low by former President Jacob Zuma. However we must not forget that President Ramaphosa also had a role to play in the turmoil he eventually inherited,” Maimane said.
Maimane tackled some of the more topical issues surrounding the national executive, the economy, corruption, basic education, health, public enterprises and land reform.
Health
During Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address, he promised to begin a roll-out of HIV and cancer awareness programmes, which has not been done yet.
Ramaphosa said the following in his state of the nation address back in February: “This year, we will take the next critical steps to eliminate HIV from our midst. By scaling up our testing and treating campaign, we will initiate an additional two million people on antiretroviral treatment by December 2020.
“We will also need to confront lifestyles diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases. In the next three months we will launch a huge cancer campaign similar to the HIV counselling and testing campaign.”
Speaking to City Press, director of media relations at the department of health, Foster Mohale, said that the delay was because the department was waiting for stakeholders, but that they were still rolling out these campaigns.
“Yes, the president did indeed say this at the state of nation address. We were supposed to roll out these campaigns and we are looking at the end of this month [May] to roll out the national health programme for communicable diseases which includes HIV and then thereafter to launch the national cancer campaign. We were waiting for stakeholders,” Mohale said.
Maimane said that Ramaphosa’s first move should have been to “announce the scrapping of the National Health Insurance [scheme] in favour of a more sustainable and affordable hybrid system, which will still ensure all South Africans receive cover”.
Cabinet
Maimane, throughout his address, alluded to the fact that Ramaphosa might not be in total control of his own cabinet or party, after being elected as ANC president in December.
“The size and composition of Ramaphosa’s Cabinet illustrates the fact that he is not in full control. The lengthy delay just before his announcement of his new Cabinet on February 26 is indicative of the political balancing act Ramaphosa is required to do, between all stakeholders he is indebted to,” Maimane said.
He also said that while Ramaphosa said he would be reviewing the size of national government members, the DA was still waiting for this to happen, “while corrupt Cabinet members are costing the tax payer millions”.
The handbook
The DA also called for a review of the national ministerial handbook, which sets out guidelines for minsters in terms of travel and car expenditure.
“Ministers have therefore used the handbook as an excuse for exorbitant expenditure, which cannot be justified, given the inequalities we live with,” Maimane said.
Recently it was revealed that the wife of Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, Norma, had racked up a travel bill of nearly R900 000 after visiting the United Kingdom, which saw the couple being criticised for taking advantage of the ministers benefits.
“The handbook was set for an update but has not been updated since 2007, while millions are wasted,” Maimane said.
City Press approached the department of public service and administration about the delay in reviewing the handbook, and is still awaiting a response.
Other gripes
Maimane also said that Ramaphosa should “reverse the 1 percentage point VAT hike”, which came into effect on April 1.
The DA also believed that the proposed amendment of section 25 of the Constitution to expropriate land without compensation should be rejected, as it “creates uncertainty and vitality in the economy”.
“Our country needs a fresh start and total change, that which President Cyril Ramaphosa cannot bring about. South Africa deserves better,” Maimane said.
