SECUNDA – Where the DA is in power, life is better for all who live there.
Mr Bosman Grobler, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) provincial chairman and a member of the provincial legislature in Mpumalanga, made this claim at a public meeting at the Anker Gemeente in Secunda on Tuesday, 26 March.
He added that the DA is the only party with a track record of good governance and who can actually implement their policies.
“Everyone in the Western Cape is benefiting from good governance, not only one part of the population.”
He emphasised that the majority of South Africans tend to agree on more matters than on what they disagree.
“Let us stand together on the things we agree on and vote against the ANC to strengthen the opposition.
“The DA embraces our diversity. We can be different, but when we stand together we are stronger. We can learn from and share from one another.”
Mr Grobler explained the DA’s five-point manifest for the coming election.
“Eradication of corruption is a high priority.
“A special task team must be formed to only focus on investigating corruption.
“Tender processes must be completely transparent.
“Lifestyle audits need to be done on all public representatives with real consequences if they are found guilty of corruption.
“Whistleblowers must be protected.”
Mr Grobler said all cops must be retrained and equipped to render a professional service, and specialised units such as rural safety, fraud investigation, and murder and robbery units should be reinstated.
Service delivery is the third crucial point on the DA’s priority list.
“We say tenders should be centralised and transparent so that private entrepreneurs can take on basic services such as waste collection. This is a way to also create more work in the private sector. “
According to Mr Grobler, the government should not be the largest employer in the country, but should create an atmosphere where jobs can be created.
Securing South Africa’s borders is also of great concern to the DA.
The DA’s leader, Mr Mmusi Maimane, recently came under sharp criticism from especially white voters about statements on Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and land reform.
Mr Grobler wanted to clarify these concerns, stating that the statements were taken completely out of context by smaller parties hoping to lure voters away from the DA.
“Our BEE policy completely differs from that of the ANC.”
The DA says there should be BEE, but there must be a cut off point to prevent individuals from enriching themselves while the rest of the community suffers. BEE should not be enforced onto SMME businesses.
“We found land reform does work, especially through a voluntary scheme where a farmer is willing to sell a part of his land to the government and the land is then given to his workers with full title deed as proof.
“No one wants to cultivate land that on paper still belongs to the state.”
Mr Grobler said the reason why many emerging farmers do not succeed, is the fact that government is not giving them any form of support.
According to the DA’s plan, the farmer who sold the land will be asked to still play a role as advisor and mentor until the emerging farmers are self-sustainable.
He said this concept is being implemented in the Western Cape with remarkable results.
