ActionSA manifesto: Prisoners to repay debt to society by working while serving sentence

If ActionSA wins the elections and takes over government, the country’s 500 000 prisoners housed at 245 prisons will be forced to work while serving their sentences in order to repay their debt to society.

The plan was tabled by ActionSA member Advocate Julie Seton while speaking at the political party’s election manifesto launch held at Ellis Park Arena, in Johannesburg, on Saturday, 23 March.

ActionSA manifesto launch: Final push to woo supporters

This comes as political parties are embarking on a final push to woo supporters ahead of the 29 May 2024 general elections.

Seton didn’t expand on the idea and it’s not clear how the country’s criminals will be integrated into the labour market or whether they will pay tax.

The party further promised to:

• Establish specialised courts to deal with specific crimes to alleviate he strain that is currently burdening the courts.
• Establish anti-corruption unit to dismantle mafias which it said was plaguing every sphere of government.
• Amend legislation to treat drug abuse as a disease and decriminalise sex workers.
• Limit use of cannabis and prosecute those who profit from it.   
• Limit political interference to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
• Expand protection for whistle blowers and impose stringent and fit-for-purpose penalties on criminal offenders.
• Streamlining the criminal justice system by enhancing cooperation between law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.

ALSO READ: PODCAST: ‘We are not DA-lite’ – ActionSA on its policies and party funding

Limit the rights of criminals

“We will limit the rights of criminals, making them repay their debt to society by working while serving their sentences. But we cannot do this alone. Help us fix South Africa on 29 May. Help us restore hope for the millions in despair, desperate to believe again. Vote ActionSA,” said Seton.

‘They underestimated us then and they underestimate us now’

ActionSA was formed during the Covid-19 lockdown and emerged in the 2021 local government elections as the sixth largest party in South Africa after contesting six municipalities out of 278 in the country.

“They underestimated us then and they underestimate us now. We shocked them then, we’re going to shock them now,” said party national chairperson Michael Beaumont.

He added that ActionSA has presented an alternative to the 64-person “bloated and sleepy cabinet of retirees”.

READ: ActionSA to consider legal action against Ramaphosa’s ‘draconian state’

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba vows to create 4.8 million jobs

The party’s president Herman Mashaba was the last to take to the podium, vowing to create 4.8 million new jobs by 2029.

South Africans are not lazy, they want to work but job-killing economic policies and poor quality of education are holding us back from unlocking economic opportunities.

Mashaba slammed the current government for allowing factories to shut down and promised to reinvigorate industrial areas, such as Garankuwa Industrial Park where he established the highly successful Black Like Me hair product factory in 1985.

Over 300 parties will contest 2024 general elections

More than 300 political parties and independent candidates will contest in this year’s elections compared to 1994 when the African National Congress (ANC) won the first democratic elections by a landslide.

Back then, only 19 parties were on the ballot.

Political party presidents are criss-crossing the country embarking on charm offensives to woo voters.

READ: When ActionSA takes office, here’s how it plans to run government

EFF and ANC in Eastern Cape

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ANC presidents Julius Malema and Cyril Ramaphosa took their campaigns to East London and Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape on Friday and Saturday respectively.

The EFF filled Buffalo City Metro stadium where Malema addressed more than 30 000 people in its final push ahead of the elections which are two months away.

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula also took his campaign where Malema was in the Buffalo City region where he visited areas, such as East London and Zwelitsha in Qonce, on Friday and Saturday.

This year’s elections will mark 30 years since the first democratic elections and is considered to be the most important elections since 1994.

All parties have also been pulling out all the stops to impress voters with line-up of A-list musicians and performers.

NOW READ: ActionSA hosting policy conference to provide alternative in next year’s elections