In this issue:
* QUOTES OF THE WEEK
* TOP STORY: DA PROPOSES STEPS TO EMPOWER PARLIAMENT
The DA proposed, among other things, that the technical
committee dealing with the parliamentary programme become a
multi-party committee.
* HELEN ZILLE IS WORLD'S BEST MAYOR
DA leader and mayor of Cape Town Helen Zille has been awarded
the 2008 World Mayor prize by City Mayors, an international urban
affairs think tank.
* NEW SAFETY AND SECURITY MINISTER MUST ANNOUNCE PLAN TO KEEP
SOUTH AFRICA'S CHILDREN SAFE
Last week, three year old Ayola Adonis was found dead metres
from her grandparents' home in Masiphumelele, Western Cape, from
whence she had been reported missing hours before.
* OPPOSITION DESERVES EQUAL PLATFORM, DA TELLS BROADCASTER
Helen Zille has written to the SABC requesting that the national
broadcaster give the opposition the same television platform accorded
to ANC President Jacob Zuma.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"Helen Zille runs probably the most sensitive and challenging Unicity
in the world, yet has done so in a friendly, professional,
compassionate manner, using her outstanding leadership and
inter-personal skills to hold together a fragile political coalition
and deliver on the promises to ALL the people of Cape."
"My vote is for Helen Zille because she cares passionately about South
Africa and its people. A recent example of her compassion, leadership
and practical common-sense approach to problems is the recent refugee
crisis in Cape Town. When politicians were talking, Helen Zille was
acting and organising, setting up emergency shelters, arranging for
community help and getting her feet muddy. Go Helen, we need people
like you as leaders on our planet."
Two quotes selected from the thousands received by City Mayors
commending Helen Zille and her work in the City of Cape Town
TOP STORY: DA PROPOSES STEPS TO EMPOWER PARLIAMENT
The Democratic Alliance last Thursday proposed a number of steps to
empower Parliament to become a robust institution adequately holding
the executive to account for its actions and failures.
Briefing the media at Parliament, DA Chief Whip Ian Davidson and his
deputy, Mike Ellis, said Parliament was currently failing to fulfil
its constitutional obligations.
"The main reason for this failure is the disdain shown by the ANC
towards Parliament, especially with regard to its oversight role,"
they said.
The DA proposed, among other things, that the technical committee
dealing with the parliamentary programme become a multi-party
committee.
"All political parties should have a representative on this committee
so that any decision regarding what should be put on the parliamentary
agenda is a democratic one," they said.
In this way, the National Assembly programming committee would agree
to a programme which took into account the interests of all political
parties represented in Parliament.
The Assembly and National Council of Provinces rules on questions
should be amended to require the executive to request an extension in
writing if they had not replied to a written question within ten days.
To ensure all members of the executive appeared at least once a
parliamentary term, a question day for each government cluster and for
the Deputy President should be scheduled at least once a term.
Members of the executive who regularly failed to attend oral question
sessions without providing a valid excuse for their absence should
account to the Parliamentary Oversight Authority.
Those who continually failed to attend members' statement sessions
without providing a valid excuse for their absence should also account
to the authority, and the necessary action should be taken against
them.
The DA further proposed that interpellations (mini-debates) be
reintroduced to provide a collective solution for the problems
relating to oral question sessions, notices of motion, and members'
statements.
At least four 15 minute interpellations should take place per oral
question day so that lively interaction took place between ministers
and MPs.
On budget votes, the DA proposed the practice of splitting the House
into extended public committees be abolished to give every MP the
opportunity to attend all the budget debates.
Regarding legislation, every portfolio committee, when considering a
bill, should be required to comment on every submission received,
whether these inputs were included in the bill and, if not, the
reasons they were rejected.
The Assembly rules should also be changed so that the person elected
to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker could not hold a senior position in
any political party.
"We believe that these solutions will empower Parliament to become a
robust institution which adequately holds the executive to account for
its actions and failures and, in this way, remains answerable to its
voters.
"Furthermore, these solutions will ensure that the needs of all South
Africans, and not the political interests of the majority party, will
once again take precedence," Davidson and Ellis said.
Read the full review here >>
HELEN ZILLE IS WORLD'S BEST MAYOR
DA leader and mayor of Cape Town Helen Zille has been awarded the 2008
World Mayor prize by City Mayors, an international urban affairs think
tank.
Zille came out tops out of a group of 820 mayors from around the world
in the competition which has spanned 18 months. A shortlist of 50 was
selected from the 820 public nominations, which was later reduced to
11, and then to five.
Editor of City Mayors, Tann vom Hove, said last Monday that Zille had
dedicated her professional life to improve the well-being of South
Africans.
"Helen Zille was the judging panel's unanimous choice for the 2008
World Mayor Prize. This amazing woman was making a difference and
giving people hope. Her only equals in South Africa are Desmond Tutu
and Nelson Mandela," he said.
"She has dedicated all her professional life to further the well-being
of all sections of South African society. She has done so with
courage, tenacity and, above all, a deep-felt love for Cape Town, her
country and its people," Mr vom Hove added.
An outstanding mayor is described by City Mayors as someone who
possesses qualities of greatness, leadership and vision, has good
management abilities, is socially and economically aware and has the
ability to provide security and to protect the environment.
An excellent mayor also possesses the skill to foster good relations
between communities from different cultural, racial and social
backgrounds.
Commentators who supported her nomination said that in a country
devoid of present-day role models, Ms Zille was making a difference
and giving people hope.
The organisers stated that Zille had the most passionate and eloquent
supportive comments in this year's contest. "Her humanity, charm,
integrity, vision and political know-how have all been praised in
equal measures," said City Mayors.
Commenting on the announcement, Zille said: "It is a great honour to
have been awarded the World Mayor award. It is a tribute to the teams,
in the mayor's office, the city officials, my caucus colleagues, the
team in Parliament and my family who work tirelessly to support me in
everything I do."
"It is a great incentive for us to keep working to build democracy in
South Africa with opportunities for all."
Congratulating Zille on behalf of the Democratic Alliance, party
Chairperson Joe Seremane said that to beat 820 nominees from all over
the globe was a truly remarkable achievement.
"Helen and her team in the City of Cape Town are showing what can be
achieved within the DA's framework of an open, opportunity society for
all - we are proving that there is an alternative to the ANC, and this
alternative works," he said.
Under Helen Zille's leadership, the DA was growing from strength to strength.
"We have the courage, we have the vision and we have the plan to build
a truly non-racial alternative to the ruling party," he said.
"We look forward to next year's election, when the voters of South
Africa will have the opportunity to judge who they think is the best
person and the best party to take our country forward."
NEW SAFETY AND SECURITY MINISTER MUST ANNOUNCE PLAN TO KEEP SOUTH
AFRICA'S CHILDREN SAFE
Responding to the disappearance and subsequent murder of a three year
old toddler last Tuesday, DA spokesperson on child abuse Mike Waters
questioned whether enough was being done to protect South Africa's
children from harm.
Last week, three year old Ayola Adonis was found dead metres from her
grandparents' home in Masiphumelele, Western Cape, from whence she had
been reported missing hours before.
"While the police did respond swiftly, it was too late," Waters said.
He said that the Democratic Alliance had made several proposals to
improve child protection services to the previous Minister of Safety
and Security, which were ignored.
"We call upon the new Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, to address the public
on what he intends to do about child safety."
The party had proffered numerous suggestions including hosting a
National Missing Children's Day to raise public awareness of the
numbers of children who were reported missing every year.
"We have also proposed developing an SMS and photo link-up to the vast
network of private cellular phones in the country so that information
about missing children can be transmitted across the country almost
immediately."
He said that the party had approached South Africa's three cell phone
giants to develop such a system, but had had an apathetic response
from them.
Other suggestions included using radio stations to make public
interest broadcasts for missing children in a range of languages and
implementing 'Code Edith', similar in nature to Code Adam in the
United States, a means of instantly galvanising people in the
immediate vicinity of a reported abduction (e.g. in a shopping centre)
to search for the child.
"It is also vital that the Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual
Offences Units across the country are reinstated, and that a summit be
hosted where the government, the private sector and concerned citizens
can come together to decide on initiatives to tackle this problem,"
Waters said.
"The DA challenges the new Minister to put a viable action plan on the
table - let him now address the public with his plans to keep our
children safe."
OPPOSITION DESERVES EQUAL PLATFORM, DA TELLS BROADCASTER
Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille last Thursday wrote to the SABC
requesting that the national broadcaster give the opposition the same
television platform accorded to ANC President Jacob Zuma.
"I have today written to the acting CEO and Editor in Chief, Gabriel
Mampone, to request that he gives the Democratic Alliance the same
opportunity to set out its alternative vision and policies," she said
in a statement.
On Wednesday, the SABC hosted Zuma during a special broadcast
programme where the ANC president briefed listeners on recent
developments within the ruling party.
However, Zille said the special broadcast amounted to nothing other
than a platform for Zuma to spout party political rhetoric.
"Giving the president of the ANC a special platform without affording
the opposition the same opportunity is biased, partial and unbalanced.
This is particularly true in this case because Zuma used this platform
to say that the DA has no policies," she said.
The interviewer should not have allowed Zuma's statement on the DA to
go unchallenged.
"It is ironic for Jacob Zuma to make these comments when he has
steadfastly refused to join me in a televised policy debate, despite
repeated requests to do so. Perhaps if Mr Zuma agreed to debate me, he
might brush up on the DA's policies," Zille said.
The only way the SABC could rectify the injustice was by according the
DA the same opportunity it granted to Zuma.
"If the SABC refuses our request, it will confirm that it is not
motivated by the public interest, but a desire to suck up to whoever
is in power," Zille said.
Zille said she would insist on Mampone's appearance before
Parliament's Communication Portfolio Committee should the public
broadcaster fail to heed the DA's call.
DID YOU KNOW?
A reply to a parliamentary question by the Democratic Alliance has
revealed that maintenance by the SA Navy of many of the expensive Arms
Deal acquisitions including four frigates and three submarines, were
falling behind schedule.
The reasons for these limitations were said to include:
• More work was being outsourced to industry, as a result of the loss
of trained technical personnel
• But, in many instances industry also had a capacity problem in
coping with varying SA Navy requirements, adversely affecting the SA
Navy's maintenance and repair schedule.
• Because of resource limitations, the SA Navy has to rely on reactive
spares procurements, which resulted in long lead times while spare
parts are ordered and delivered.
• This exacerbated the co-ordination and scheduling of maintenance activities.
• Financial constraints have also required that the SA Navy acquire
spares judiciously.
The result of these issues meant that SA's force-readiness and defence
capability was compromised.
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