Johannesburg- Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise governance in his State of the Nation Address.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the address tonight in Cape Town.
In a statement, Steenhuisen gazetted a list of his expectations ahead of the president’s SONA. The DA leader penned governance, calling for an action plan and implementation.
Steenhuisen said the president should boot off some of his cabinet ministers for having failed their respective departments and replace them with “capable individuals”.
Steenhuisen said Minister of Police Bheki Cele and Minister of Public Service and Administration Ayanda Dlodlo should be fired for failing to protect life and property during the July 2021 civil unrest, as well as the ‘dysfunction at the South African Police Service (SAPS)’.
In response to the release of the unrest report, the DA said it was not impressed by the way the government handled the unrest.
“The response by SAPS and Intelligence was shockingly slow, inappropriate, and insufficient,” Steenhuisen said on Tuesday.
The leader said tonight, the president should at least tell the nation that the instigators of the July 2021 civil unrest have been arrested and charged.
“The decentralisation of policing to competent metros and municipalities and that xenophobic rhetoric and behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
On the other hand, he accused Motshekga of failing to improve the education system and outcomes. According to Steenhuisen, the president should announce a recovery plan to assist school children to make up for the dramatic losses during the lockdown.
Steenhuisen added that Fikile Mbalula, Minister of Transport, also failed his department. He said he should be fired for the driver’s licence debacle, having only one machine making them.
According to Steenhuisen, Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade and Industry should also be fired, for “socialist economic policies that are killing investment”.
“Tonight President Ramaphosa should put the country before ANC unity, acknowledge his failures, be bold, and choose progress for all South Africans,” he said.
Also read: SONA 22: COSATU calls for action plan and implementation
DA wants heads to roll following the release of the July 2021 unrest report
To read more political news and views, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
