Natasha Mazzone

Dear MyPE Usually a new year starts with lots of excitement, plans, and projections but Covid-19 and the ensuing worldwide pandemic have forced governments around the world to reassess and reprioritize in the interests of the lives and livelihoods of citizens. South Africa is under an immense amount of pressure when it comes to fighting off the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as resuscitating our flatlining economy. Our country already faces immense social challenges pandemic aside, such as … [Read more...] about These should be Government’s new year’s resolutions

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has today written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise MP, to request that she reconvenes Parliament urgently to conduct a debate of urgent national importance on South Africa's Covid-19 vaccination-plan before or on 31 December 2020. After the “Annus Horibilis” that we have just gone through, we need to start 2021 with a clear, no misinterpreted plan. Misinforming parliament is a crime. South Africans were initially told that … [Read more...] about Parliament must reconvene before New Year’s Eve in order to debate Covid vaccination plan

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Clicks to put the interests of its customers and employees ahead of the narrow political interests and fascism of the EFF when they meet today. This past week, the nation has watched as the EFF leadership and some of their quasi-revolutionary followers went on a violent rampage in the name of justice. As many South Africans rightly condemned the racially insensitive Clicks advert - the EFF opted for a violent response through the … [Read more...] about Clicks must not kowtow to the EFF’s fascism – #ClicksMustFall

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, to expedite our request for Parliament to establish a Covid-19 accountability committee in light of the findings by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) on the extent of Covid-19 corruption on the part of government. The DA repeatedly called for government and Parliament to establish various mechanisms to prevent the inevitable corruption that would ensue during this pandemic. Not only … [Read more...] about Calls on Speaker to expedite Covid accountability committee following AG findings

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of comments by André De Ruyter, the Eskom CEO, that he is hoping to revise and accelerate the initial timetable for unbundling and splitting the beleaguered power utility. We trust that unlike his predecessors, De Ruyter will keep this energy and momentum and follow through in creating a more stable and independent Eskom. It is for this reason that the DA will send him a physical copy of our Private Members’ Bill (PMB), the Independent … [Read more...] about A Cheaper Electricity Bill

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the move by Eskom and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to issue summons in a bid to recover the more than R3.8 billion in stolen funds from the State-Owned Enterprise’s (SOE) former executives, non-executive directors and the Gupta-family. The DA has long called for SIU reports regarding the looting at the power utility to be made public, and for money stolen to be recovered and the guilty parties to face the full extent of the law. That an attempt is … [Read more...] about Summons to recover stolen state capture funds

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns in the strongest terms the threats made by ANC Member of Parliament, Boy Mamabolo, to shoot Sunday World journalist, Ngwako Malatji. We will refer Mamabolo to Parliament’s Ethics Committee, to ensure that he is held fully accountable for his statements and that his actions are thoroughly investigated. Threatening journalists is a serious and insidious problem which, if not properly addressed or challenged, will reverse the gains made … [Read more...] about ANC MP’s insidious threat to freedom of the press

DA consulting lawyers Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) is consulting our lawyers on our legal options to stop the ANC government from using pension funds to bail out Eskom. The DA will do everything in our power to stop this from happening - even if we have to go to the highest court in the land. Eskom is a big, black pit that is incapable of delivering secure and stable energy to South Africans. It is unconscionable that President Ramaphosa would pander to the ideas of trade … [Read more...] about Stop pension funds going to Eskom

Dear MyPE Tonight’s antics of the EFF to disrupt the State of the Nation Address, on a series of spurious points, shows the childishness and immaturity of the party. At a time in our nation when urgent solutions are needed to pressing crises in our country, the EFF has chosen to prevent the president confronting these. The DA has expectations for clear and definitive answers from the President tonight, and should he be prevented from addressing the nation we move further backward as a … [Read more...] about EFF disruption of SONA denying the nation critical answers

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes South African Airways’ (SAA) announcement that it plans to cut 944 jobs or about 20% of its workforce to bring costs under control. Given the current revenue shortfalls, efforts by the new management and directors to turn the beleaguered state-owned entity (SOE) around have been nothing but a pipe dream. The national carrier has failed to make a profit since 2011 and came terribly close to defaulting in 2017. SAA is one of many SOEs that are … [Read more...] about Which SOE Last Made a Profit in 2011?