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PAC suggests president be changed every six months, coalitions regulated
The party has lamented the high levels of poverty and joblessness in the country.
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) president Mzwanele Nyhontso at the debate on 2022 State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the Cape Town City Hall on 14 February 2022. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) has called for the regulation of multiparty coalitions amid the instability across many municipalities in the country.
The PAC’s leadership addressed media briefing on Monday, following its two-day national executive council (NEC) meeting held over the weekend.
Coalitions
As the country prepares for the 2024 general elections, PAC president Mzwanele Nyhontso said the party believes that coalitions must be regulated, with the African National Congress (ANC) anticipated to drop below 50%.
Nyhontso suggested the head of state be replaced if not performing well enough.
“It is going to happen in the national government… and it will be good to have a president for six months and change him. What is wrong with that? Because it is happening in Britain, and nobody complains that Britain is going down.
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“In fact, Britain last had different prime ministers in a few months, but their economy is still strong. That means there’s nothing wrong in changing faces if the faces are not doing right.
“But there’s something wrong if coalitions are not regulated. My point is that we must regulate coalitions. We must know what is going to happen, who is going to lead the coalition, of course, on the basis of numbers,” the PAC leader said.
He confirmed that the party would contest next year’s elections.
ICC saga
Nyhontso also commented on the dilemma over the Russia President Vladimr Putin’s visit to South Africa for the Brics Summit in August.
“The NEC notes with grievous concern and is outrage by the flip-flopping on the matter of the international court. This proves that the South African government is in a sinking state of national disaster making it indecisive on its position concerning the United States of America [USA] and the Russian Federation,” he said.
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The PAC president highlighted that the party were of the view that the country should withdraw from the ICC.
“Equally, the coming of Russian President Vladimir Putin to South Africa lies squarely on the hands of Brics and whether he comes or not, in this instances the PAC is exonerated.”
Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ANC wanted South Africa to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), however, in less than 24 hours, his office retracted the statement leading to confusion.
The ICC issued arrest warrant against Putin for alleged war crimes in March.
Crime, load shedding
The PAC further observed the need in tackling crime, saying it was clear that there was no political will from government to protect citizens.
“The NEC is cognizant of the fact that African people are not cared for by the South African government in that they are made to face crisis after crisis in their daily lives. Our people are faced with mass shooting in rural villages and the townships,” Nyhontso said.
He also lamented the high levels of poverty and joblessness in country.
“Homelessness is rife with many youth living in the streets, in dilapidated old buildings as well as in cemeteries and sleep on hungry stomachs as a result of gross unemployment and poverty, thus, becoming beggars in their own country.”
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Nyhontso claimed load shedding could be resolved within three months days if the government was intentional.
“South Africa has the ability to maintain a reliable, sustainable and cost effective energy supply. We cannot allow the criminalisation of electricity in this country through the proposed unbundling of Eskom.
“The PAC holds strongly the view that load shedding can be eliminated in less than 90 days if the SA government is serious about servicing its people in ending the energy and electricity crisis.”
He added that the education system needed to be revamped because the current curriculum “belonged to the previous millennium”.
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