Elections 2024: PA wants youth conscription to create ‘100% employment’

If the Patriotic Alliance (PA) gets voted into power after Wednesday’s poll it has given itself a tall order.

The party’s secretary-general Meshe Habana listed some of the remedies that the PA will implement if it gets into any leadership position – provincially or nationally.

Habana said SA “will be transformed because if we wait to do what needs to be done, then SA will end up waiting forever”.

Habana was vocal about the PA’s tough stance on crime and that is was inspired by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele whose iron first significantly reduced crime in that country.

“We shall arrest all the gang members ruling the streets and the mafia ruling the state enterprises,” he said.

Death penalty

To deter serious and serial offenders, the PA also plans to bring back the death penalty for certain heinous crimes, such as murder, muti killings, and the rape of children.

ALSO READ: ‘Our people don’t eat conferences’ – Gayton McKenzie defends not holding party elections

“We will put them in jail first and then bring charges later.”

To achieve a return to law and order, he said the PA will professionalise the police force, improve forensic detective capacity and establish specialised units for dealing with specific crimes.

“Only 15% of murders in South Africa are ever solved,” he said Habana added the importance of working closely with the public to fight crime must not be underestimated, noting that TV shows like Police File, that was used to publicise and root out criminals, were once effective in making the public law enforcement’s partners in apprehending criminals.

Like most opposition parties, corruption in the civil service will be weeded out, Habana promised. He said the PA’s proof is already in the pudding.

PA ‘doesn’t bhaiza’

Leader Gayton McKenzie, in Beaufort West and the Central Karoo municipalities, fired corrupt officials and his actions directly led to financial recovery.

“The PA does not bhaiza [blunder],” he said, adding random integrity tests for officials, conducted by specialised anti-corruption units will further deter corrupt activities.

Habana said the revitalisation of state-owned enterprises was critical. He noted SA Airways, Eskom, and Transnet.

ALSO READ: PA open to coalition arrangement with the DA and ANC, says McKenzie

“The decline of Eskom, Transnet and many other core drivers of industry has had a crippling effect on the country.”

He said these entities had been transformed into platforms for procurement rather than engines of economic growth and cited a local government example.

“The Johannesburg Roads Agency’s crews are often left to sit under trees while they watch private contractors resurfacing roads.”

Transnet and SAA

If in government, the party will also focus much of its effort on reindustrialisation and concomitant to that, restoring the country’s rail network.

“Transnet can create millions of indirect jobs by connecting remote areas rich in agriculture and minerals to populated regions for product transformation,” Habana said.

He envisions a mega logistics hub in Beaufort West to unlock the economic potential of the Western Cape through improved connectivity. He also defended the relevance of SAA, highlighting its role in boosting tourism and the economy.

“SAA remains a key national asset,” Habana said.

Fixing Eskom

Eskom, of course, is another issue.

Habana said South Africa needs a diversified energy mix, including renewable energy, modern nuclear reactors, and gasfired turbines, to ensure reliable and affordable electricity.

“Global interest in assisting Eskom to rapidly expand its generation and distribution capabilities is high,” he said. He shared the importance of liberalising power generation while making Eskom focus on becoming a more effective transmission company.

ALSO READ:Gayton McKenzie: I lived like a king in jail, but most prisoners suffer

“Burning billions of rands in diesel turbines is pure desperation and a sign of inadequate long-term planning by government.”

The PA’s economic strategy includes a conscription model to provide 100% employment for school leavers, combating crime to bolster business confidence, and establishing a lending bank for indigent entrepreneurs.

Conscription

The conscription policy will integrate young people into various sectors, enhancing their skills and personal development.

“This youth bulge is a ticking time bomb for South Africa,” he warned, saying the need for urgent and effective measures to absorb the youth into the workforce was critical.

Habana said the dire state of infrastructure will be addressed, particularly water and sewerage systems, and the need for large-scale reinvestment.

“Our water pipes are old, and in Joburg, we lose as much as half of our bulk water before it even reaches some kind of paying customer.”

ALSO READ: WATCH: Gayton McKenzie meets with ‘gangsters to make peace’

The PA also opposes the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, describing it as an admission of the government’s failure to manage the health care system.

“The ANC has destroyed the state medical sector and now wants to destroy the private one too. The only way to save SA is to vote PA,” he said.