Steenhuisen returns to Durban North
Speaking to hundreds of locals at the Parkhill Bowling Club recently he said the DA would be focussing a lot of effort on ending its reign as the African National Congress’s (ANC) opposition party.
THE Democratic Alliance’s (DA) chief whip, John Steenhuisen was back in his home turf last week where he done anything but “shut up”.
Last month the former Durban North ward councillor once again made headlines when the country’s president, Cyril Rhamphosa told him to shut up at National Assembly.
Speaking to hundreds of locals at the Parkhill Bowling Club on Tuesday last week he said the DA would be focussing a lot of effort on ending its reign as the African National Congress’s (ANC) opposition party.
ALSO READ: Steenhuisen: ‘We are seeing a new movement by citizens
However, this would not stop them from continuing to be the watchdogs of the country.
“We will be president Rhamphosa biggest supporters, but we must not be uncritical supporters. When our opposition is not performing on behalf of the 10 million citizens of South Africa (SA), we will speak up. We will make sure that we are a critical opposition party,” he said.
The ANC currently holds 57 per cent of the votes in KwaZulu-Natal. It was one of the provinces the DA planned to take in the 2019 elections.
Steenhuisen, in true DA style, pointed out the ongoing issues with the country.
He began with the economy, which had recently gone down 6.1 per cent – ultimately leading to more unemployment. He then questioned the government’s decision to raise taxes in a response to the slow economy.
Steenhuisen also argued that using 36 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product to fund public services was “unsustainable”.
“And then to have it all in shambles? Anyone here who has attempted to get an ID or passport will know the rigmarole involved,” he added.
The decision to raise the minimum wage, he said, cost 750 000 jobs.
ALSO READ: Opposition parties furious at soldier deployment
The country’s education system was also facilitating the unemployment rate, said Steenhuisen.
“It’s pumping out learners who are unable to read and can’t write, and we have university graduates standing on the street corners asking for any job,” he said.
In his final thoughts Steenhuisen focussed on SA’s infamous high crime rate.
“99 per cent of children under the age of 18 will be exposed to violent crimes. We live in a country here this is accepted as the normality – where woman are battered and farmers and farm workers are attacked. But this is not normal,” he said.
Steenhuisen vowed to tackle the problem by training and equipping policemen, and appointing police leaders based on merit and not by “who they know”.
For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us Instagram
