John Steenhuisen

Dear MyPE Tomorrow, in his State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa is going to have to show South Africans that he is in fact the man in charge, and not just another spectator to everything that is happening to our country. Three years into his presidency he is yet to display this kind of decisive leadership, but such is the urgency of our situation that he is going to have to discover his fortitude by tomorrow evening. We can’t afford an appeaser or a mediator for a president. We … [Read more...] about Will President Ramaphosa finally choose to protect the people, the economy and our democracy?

Dear MyPE No matter how the president spins it, South Africans have been badly let down by an incapable state that has neither the ability nor the will to protect lives and livelihoods. That the first vaccines only arrived on our shores today is a failure, not an achievement. With no significant vaccine arrivals until May and the bulk of what we can expect this year only arriving towards the end of the year, we find ourselves staring at a third wave come winter and with it another … [Read more...] about Government’s vaccine failure means a third wave is inevitable

Dear MyPE I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of ANC stalwart and my former parliamentary colleague, adversary and friend, Jackson Mthembu. The news of his death this afternoon comes as a great shock, and I can only imagine the devastating impact this must have on those who were close to him. On behalf of the DA, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his party. You have lost a generous man with a big heart and an even bigger sense of … [Read more...] about RIP Jackson Mthembu

My fellow citizens, We stand here at the start of a brand new year, and I am sure for many of you it is the most daunting new year you have ever faced. None of us are sure how it will unfold and where we might find ourselves twelve months from now. It is a scary time throughout the world, and the suffering and loss that many people experienced this past year would not have been imaginable a year ago. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to all who suffered tragic loss in this … [Read more...] about Only Big, Meaningful Interventions Can Help Us Now

Dear MyPE In his address to the nation on Monday night, President Ramaphosa claimed that his government has been working on vaccine acquisition for six months, which would have been since July last year. Yet there is much evidence to suggest this is simply not the truth. We cannot fully discard the risk that government’s reluctance to secure a full supply of vaccines from reputable suppliers is because the politically connected are hoping to score kickbacks from Chinese and Russians … [Read more...] about Did Ramaphosa mislead the nation on vaccine acquisition?

Dear MyPE While our government continues to tinker with lockdown levels and impose arbitrary and often ineffectual regulations that continue to wreak havoc on our decimated economy, it has failed to do the one thing that can save both lives and the economy, and that is the acquisition of sufficient vaccines. Just as it failed to use the initial lockdown last year to augment our country’s healthcare, it has now sat back and watched as other countries snapped up all available vaccines, leaving … [Read more...] about Ramaphosa’s vaccine promises leave more questions than answers

Dear MyPE The DA is heartened by the news that the Western Cape government is working pro-actively to expedite access to a Covid-19 vaccine in that province. We call on National government to follow our lead and do the same. More than ever before, the time has come for South Africa’s government to put the people first and to urgently secure a bi-lateral deal to expedite the arrival of the vaccine to our shores. Waiting for the second quarter next year is not good enough, and even then, the … [Read more...] about 6-Point Action Plan to Urgently Source Covid-19 Vaccine

Dear MyPE As we spend the 16th of December celebrating our national Day of Reconciliation, I want us to pause for a moment and think about what exactly it is we’re celebrating. Few other countries in the world have culture, history or people as diverse as South Africa’s. We like to speak of this diversity as our strength – we don’t claim to want to blend everything and everyone together into an uniform mixture. Rather, we state that a sense of unity in our incredible diversity is far … [Read more...] about Shun those who celebrate Reconciliation Day while driving wedges between us

Dear MyPE President Ramaphosa’s announcement this evening has made one thing crystal clear: that after almost a year of lockdown and devastating lockdown regulations, South Africa’s health capacity is still nowhere near as strong and developed as it should be to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, despite what was promised 9 months ago. Furthermore, the crucial plan to obtain a vaccine for South Africa has yet to be rolled out. South Africa doesn’t need a vaccine acquisition task team, we … [Read more...] about After almost a year of lockdown, what does Ramaphosa have to show for it?

Dear MyPE South Africa’s coronavirus pandemic has highlighted, in gruesome detail, the rising scourge of gender-based violence in our country. For the many women and children in South Africa who were forced into isolation with their abusers, our country’s national lockdown was a time of terror. As much as 51% of South African women have experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner, and the worrying spike in gender-based violence under lockdown serves as a reminder of the … [Read more...] about SA needs 365 days of activism to tackle gender-based violence

Dear MyPE It is incomprehensible that the state of disaster has been extended by yet another month. Government cannot keep managing South Africa around a single risk when our nation is so imperiled by far greater risks, such as poverty, hunger and unemployment. We reject with contempt the veiled threat of a return to higher levels of lockdown. This country is in serious trouble. What people need most right now is maximum freedom and confidence to rebuild the economy and their lives. … [Read more...] about Stop the fearmongering, stop the economy-bashing, and end the state of disaster, Mr President

Dear MyPE CoGTA Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has once again extended the national state of disaster, which was set to expire today, justifying it with “the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the disaster”. Let’s be clear. This is a blatant power grab. The state of disaster deliberately cuts out parliamentary oversight. It effectively allows government to run a dictatorship, making new … [Read more...] about Extension of state of disaster is a blatant power grab

https://youtu.be/XYrHTC3Wm4w Dear MyPE Today I am in Nelson Mandela Bay to highlight the area’s growing water crisis, the result of uncaring, incompetent government. The metro has a water management issue, not a water shortage issue. Taps have run dry in many areas, due to delays and failures to maintain and upgrade water infrastructure, and due to a failure to manage demand adequately. For example, we have today inspected a leak near Despatch on the main water line between Port … [Read more...] about 46% – Take the Log out of your own Eye FIRST NMB!

Dear MyPE As our country pauses today to celebrate Heritage Day, we are reminded once more of just how diverse and colourful our nation is. We don’t share a single heritage, nor even a common idea of what heritage means. Today South Africans will be celebrating in a thousand different ways. Some of it will be serious and reflective, and some of it will be light-hearted and fun. And that’s fine. This diversity of approach to Heritage Day reflects the diversity of our country. We truly … [Read more...] about A country with a heritage as diverse as ours needs a plan that serves all its people