The ACDP policies and manifesto are practical, and put God at the centre.

The time for talk and for fighting is over. It is now time for work and time to rebuild and to serve.

Women played an iconic role in the history of our country. South African history is filled with real female heroes who have championed the cause for equality and the eradication of discriminatory laws during the difficult years of apartheid.

They left an indelible mark on the political struggle for a democratic South Africa. The women who lived through the social oppression of those days, did not back down to the status quo. They demanded their voices be heard and they addressed injustice in the most valiant ways possible.

When we say “she is a woman”, there is a recognition of the power of the female voice and unique role women play in shaping society.

It is important now more than ever, for the voice of women to be heard in our nation. The inequality and poverty the majority of our nation live in, affects women the most.

Economic disparity has severely limited the freedom of women in our democratic South Africa. The pandemic of disease and violence affects women disproportionately.

The issue of equality remains critical in a society where broken families are becoming the norm, and more than 38% of households are women led.

Women’s Month should be a time to reflect on how far we have came in the pursuance of equality and justice for all, but it also needs to be a time to refocus our attention and redefine the path to building strong, healthy communities.

The fight is at the most basic level of how women live and the opportunities that are available for them to pursue advancement in order to attain economic freedom.

It is in recognizing how systemic failures at all levels have given rise to the brutal reality of Gender Based Violence.

26 Years after the dawn of our democracy, this country is among the most dangerous for women to live in, and raise her children in.

The Constitution of South Africa states that “everyone has the right to life”. Every day in South Africa that right is being violated, and women are being killed in a manner that resembles a war zone.

The abnormal has become normal and the tide is rising. The most critical issue we face is the right to live in safety for there is no dead person who can enjoy the fruits of equality and freedom.

This Women’s Month we must again revisit that moment in 1956 when 20 000 women of all races and class marched on the Union Building to hand over a petition to the then Prime Minister.

How do we celebrate women when the names of the slain are growing daily, and still today the female body is being exploited?

How do we celebrate women when she is forced to live in a shack and raise her children in fear? When she must sell herself in shame to protect her children against hunger?

There is a new breed of women that should revisit that moment in 1956 to say – how many times will you strike this rock?

We should do so in the same unified voice of the women who came before us, a voice that history teaches us, shall not be denied.

The ACDP this Women’s Month, calls for unity across political and racial divides to tackle the giants we face: Gender based Violence, Unemployment and Inequality.

We must make South Africa safe for women again!

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has expressed his deeply held personal beliefs and views on Israel based on his strong religious and spiritual connections with the Holy Land of Israel, but he now faces criticism, intimidation and reprisal from the ANC, BDS, the Judicial Services Commission and others.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has a proven track record of upholding the Constitution and human rights over the years.

In addition, the judiciary, under his leadership, has been fiercely independent, and was the strongest bulwark against the ANC’s complete capture of the state during the Zuma years.

1. We reject criticism and intimidation of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng as baseless and an attack on his constitutional rights of freedom of belief and freedom of expression.
2. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng must be allowed to exercise his constitutional right as a South African citizen to express his personal opinion and beliefs based on his deeply held views on Israel.
3. All Christians must be able to express their beliefs without criticism, intimidation or fear of reprisal.
4. We similarly reject the calls for Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to resign, as well as the ANC’s call on the Speaker of Parliament to have “high level talks” with the Chief Justice regarding his views.
5. We see this as a very dangerous attempt at intimidating our Chief Justice from expressing his deeply held personal religious views, which can also be seen as an indirect threat to the independence of the judiciary.

Background:

In a recent wide-ranging interview with the Jerusalem Post (https://bit.ly/2VQ85eC), which included South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, discussion focussed on global racial tensions and the need for love, forgiveness and reconciliation.

During the interview, he made it very clear that he was not undermining the government’s policy on Israel but had the right to express himself as a citizen and as a Christian.

It is also undeniable that South Africa, with its unique history and experience in negotiating a peaceful solution, could play an important role in facilitating the peace process in the Middle East.

We thus fully agree with Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s sentiment that “the people of South Africa are an asset we must use around the world to bring peace when there is no peace, and to mediate effectively based on rich our experience.”

The ANC has chosen to ignore these important parts of the interview, but has only focussed on Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s personal comments on Israel.

Sadly, the unbalanced approach of the ANC in condemning Israel whenever possible, along with its resolution to downgrade the South African embassy in Israel, while turning a blind eye to far more serious human rights violations in many other countries including China, Iraq, Syria, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar, has resulted in it losing any credibility as an honest mediator in international affairs.

This resolution to downgrade the SA Embassy in Israel flies in the face of growing diplomatic ties between Israel and many African countries who see the benefits of such relationships when it comes to Israel’s technology such as in the medical, water and agricultural spheres.

These growing diplomatic ties are ironically being mediated by Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates who mediated a meeting between Prime minister Netanyahu and Sudanese President Burhan, and clearly illustrates how short-sighted the ANC’s foreign policy towards Israel is.

The ANC asserts that South Africa “is a secular state and officials of the state, which include our esteemed judiciary are bound by the constitution to respect this.” This view shows that the ANC has no understanding of the relationship between the state and religion as clearly articulated by the Constitution and the courts.

South Africa is not a secular state. This was confirmed by a full bench of three Gauteng High Court judges in the 2017 OGOD judgement which stated that, “this fits a twin theme often raised during argument, and accepted by all, namely first, that we are not a secular State and, second, that in this country our diversity is celebrated, not tolerated.”

The ACDP notes the announcement by the Minister of Basic Education Minister, Ms Angie Motshekga, in which she has said that more learners would be returning to school in the months of July and August.

**On July 6, 2020, Grades R, 1, 2, 3, 6, 10 and 11 will return.*

**On August 3, 2020, Grades 4, 5, 8 and 9 will return.*

The ACDP encourages the Department to recognise the rights of parents, as we believe that no parent should be forced by the Department to send their child/children to school if they deem it unsafe, or should they be able to home-school.

We are of the opinion that the Department should introduce a hybrid system in order to facilitate the successful completion of the academic school year for ALL children.

The cold fact is that our schools are overcrowded, and that the next intake of learners on the 6th of July, and the 3rd of August, respectively, will most definitely impact compliance to health and safety standards negatively. The ACDP proposes that the DBE enable those parents who can home-school their children, to do so without having to de-register their children from school. In light of the impact of Covid-19 on our schooling system, the Department has to adapt and adopt a more flexible mind-set to schooling.

The ACDP is also concerned that the psycho-socio support that was set out by the minister is not easily accessible for both learners and teachers who seek the psychological support during this difficult time.

*In a hybrid system:*

**Three groups of children would be accommodated at a time.*

**Children whose parents can afford to home-school would be allowed to do so and receive the necessary support from the department.*

**Children in disadvantaged communities would collect work from school to practice, study, and work from home.*

**Children at risk in poorer communities who need supervision, and those who depend on the school nutrition programme, would attend school.*

This system is an alternative that is completely possible. Some schools have already adopted this method, particularly in the Western Cape.

The ACDP has full confidence that the hybrid system will address overcrowding in our schools, and that it would make life for parents, teachers, and children much easier and safer.

All is not equal in our society, and the loss of the academic year would further disadvantage children who live, and attend schools, in our poorer communities – the cost of which would negatively impact the next string of students going onto the next level.

The ACDP proposes the hybrid system because we cannot afford to have any of our children left behind.

In response to Finance Minister Mboweni’s Special Adjustment Budget to revise state spending in response to the ongoing health crisis, ACDP MP and Whip Steve Swart, this evening said,

“The minister had no fiscal space to move given that the economy is set contract by 7.5 % of GDP as a result of the hard lockdown, resulting in R300bn less than projected tax revenue.

This results in the budget deficit growing from an already high 6.8% of GDP (R370 5bn) to an enormous R761bn. Debt service costs, which were already crowding out expenditure on other budgetary items, are set to escalate to a staggering R4 trillion or 81.8 % of GDP.

While the ACDP supports additional funding to combat the virus pandemic, it is also necessary to assist struggling businesses and individuals. We welcome the financial assistance in this regard – believing we need to protect lives and livelihoods.

While much of the R500bn relief package will need to come from reprioritised funds and borrowing, the funds must be carefully spent and fully accounted for.

The ACDP supports real time auditing of such expenditure and swift action by the Hawks, NPA and SIU where any irregularities are uncovered.

This particularly given that municipalities, where rampant corruption occurs, are to be given substantial additional funds.

We also support moving to zero-based auditing by the state.

It is also crucial that the spiralling public sector wage bill is addressed. This, together with unacceptable bailouts to SOEs (such as the R3bn to the Landbank and talks of a new airline at substantial cost) are totally unaffordable during this crisis.

The ACDP welcomes the implementation of the Treasury’s Economic Growth strategy. The question is whether Mboweni has the political support to implement the very tough decisions which are necessary to implement this strategy to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and stave off a sovereign debt crisis in the medium term.

Mboweni today repeated his warning that unless public expenditure is cut, the country will face a sovereign debt crisis by 2024, forcing it to seek help from the IMF.

We share these concerns, and trust that his colleagues in government are heeding his warning.

In order to qualify for the release of the Covid-19 relief funds, Treasury will need to present the IMF with a credible fiscal consolidation framework which must show that the country has a plan to stabilise debt over the longer term. The country has entered this crisis on our back-foot, largely as a result of years of looting and plundering of state resources and ill-guided government policies. We look forward to the presentation of such plans.

Lastly, we will be closely studying the financial details contained in the various Bill’s tables today, and as far as possible, exercise due parliamentary oversight over the allocation and expenditure of these additional funds. We require good stewardship and accountability of these funds, much of which must be repaid with interest.”

Today, 12 May 2020, the world celebrates International Day of Nurses.

The purpose of this day is to celebrate the achievements and continued sacrifice and contributions of great men and women – the unsung heroes in our medical fraternity.

The appreciation for the role that nurse’s play is not always as forthcoming as it is in the case with medical doctors. However, our nurses are central to the wellbeing of our people, and contribute immensely in building strong and healthy communities in all of South Africa.

A prosperous nation puts the advancement of core medical staff, such as nurses, at the forefront of its development programmes. This pandemic has shown that it is imperative that we make strides to retain our nurses. We can do so if we pay them properly, and also afford them access to free education opportunities that would allow them to advance their skills and careers.

The ACDP is disappointed that many capable and hardworking nurses that work in our government healthcare facilities, who are employed by agencies, have had their contracts suspended, and are sitting at home as a result of the lockdown. This, while government has forked out some R400 million to import Cuban doctors. Where government can, it must seek to permanently employ these nurses. R400m would have gone a long way in permanently employing South African nurses and doctors who have the necessary qualifications and experience but are unemployed.

Even with the arrival of the Cuban health workers, nurses who are permanently employed by government are not coping with the added pressure this health pandemic has brought to our shores. This is a gap that could have been filled by permanently employing nurses, who are in the employ of agencies, who work in government healthcare facilities on a contractual basis.

The ACDP salutes our unsung heroes: the men and women who keep things going under the most difficult circumstances. We also extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of those courageous health workers who have battled on the frontlines throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and who sadly contracted the virus and have fallen while saving lives.

Here’s to the front-liners who keep marching forward!

#ACDPCovid19ReliefFund
#Covid_19SA
#LockdownSA

The African Christian Democratic Party calls for the immediate lifting of the lockdown restrictions on all sectors of our economy, while ensuring that strict hygiene conditions are in place.

We are of the view that the South African economy is facing one of its worst storms ever. Prior to taking the reins from his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, it was President Cyril Ramaphosa himself, who lamented over the nine wasted years under the presidency of Zuma. The estimates are that those wasted years have cost the South African economy in excess of R1 trillion. Put into perspective, that is some 20% of our GDP and about 70% of our National Budget.

Many dreamed of a New Dawn, which until now has failed to materialize. Our unemployment rate is among the highest in the world, and we have the unenviable title of being the most unequal nation in the world, with a Gini coefficient in excess of 0.6, and rating agencies having downgraded our economy to junk status. It must be said that under the ruling party, poverty, inequality and unemployment have continued to grow.

The wounds inflicted on our economy up until this stage was self-inflicted, where megalomaniacs plundered, raped and pillaged our fiscus with impunity. Now, to add insult to injury we have been inflicted with a Covid-19 pandemic that has brought the global economy to a virtual standstill.

Economists predict that our economy could shrink by between 5-10%, our debt to GDP could grow from 60% to 80% in 2020, and the 6% deficit on our National Budget is set to increase to 12% of GDP. Additionally, a further 1 million workers could be added to the ranks of the unemployed, taking our unemployment rate of 38%, on the expanded definition, to beyond 50% after lockdown. Furthermore, the South African Employers Association indicated that of the businesses surveyed in South Africa, 68% said they would survive a 3 week lockdown but only 28% said they would survive beyond one month.

The ACDP believes that it is time to unlock our economy and remove the onerous restrictions imposed on it. According to South African actuaries, if the lockdown is not removed soon, the mortality rate as a consequence of unemployment, malnutrition and hunger, will be 29 times worse than Covid-19 itself.

The ACDP is on record for saying, as early as 13 April 2020, that if due attention is not given to our economy the consequences will make the Covid-19 pandemic look like a Sunday picnic. Hence, we now call for the immediate lifting of restrictions on all sectors of the economy, while simultaneously calling for these sectors to adhere to strict health protocols, to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The ACDP believes that our focus should be to protect those that are most vulnerable to Covid-19 such as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, while applying a zonal or area-specific approach to restrictions, rather than mutilating our entire economy.

#ACDPCovid19ReliefFund
#Covid_19SA
#LockdownSA