DA@WORK 13 October - ANC split heralds a new and exciting political era

DA@WORK 13 October 2008

DA LAUNCHES NEW EDUCATION POLICY
Entitled 'Preparing for success', it seeks, among other things, to
provide 25 000 high-quality teachers a year.

ZILLE AND MOTLANTHE MEET
On a political solution to Zuma's legal matters, Motlanthe gave Zille
the assurance that he was opposed to a political solution to a legal
problem, and that he regarded no one as above the law.

DISINTEGRATION OF THE ANC HERALDS A NEW AND EXCITING ERA IN SOUTH AFRICA
The DA was prepared to work with any party or individual sharing its
vision of a non-racial South Africa united behind the Constitution.

DA WELCOMES SCOPA DECISION ON ARMS DEAL
After many requests from the DA to do so, Scopa has finally agreed to
take the matter further at a committee meeting later this month.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It is a fact that our leadership is more diverse than the ANC's,
which is completely uni-racial. Our membership and support base are
far more non-racial than the ANC's. In fact, in his most recent
political opinion survey, Professor Lawrence Schlemmer has concluded
that the DA is the most multi-racial party South Africa has ever had."

DA Leader Helen Zille responding to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's
statement last week, in SA Today http://www.da.org.za/?p=649, dispels
some popular myths about the DA

DA LAUNCHES NEW EDUCATION POLICY

The Democratic Alliance launched its new education policy last
Tuesday. Entitled 'Preparing for success', it seeks, among other
things, to provide 25 000 high-quality teachers a year.

Briefing the media at parliament, DA leader Helen Zille
http://www.da.org.za/?p=605 said the current education system failed
mainly because the key focus was not on quality education.

There were a small number of world-class schools but many schools that
ran on mediocrity, apathy and neglect.

"South Africa too needs to place the pursuit of excellence at the
heart of its policies on education and, in the policy we are launching
today, we make many proposals to do so," she said.

"We have many exceptional teachers who must be given the pay and the
recognition they deserve.

"At the same time, we cannot allow any longer a situation where
teachers arrive unprepared, late or not at all or where principals are
found to be out at lunch during school hours.

"The DA's proposals for performance management and for
performance-related pay will tackle this," Zille said.

DA education spokesperson George Boinamo said the policy was intended
to ensure that, within 15 years, all South African children emerged
from school literate and numerate at internationally benchmarked
levels.

The plan would guarantee a core minimum of resources for every school,
and steps, including linking schooling to child support grants - to
reduce the drop-out rate. It would also ensure that the school
nutrition scheme covered learners all the way through to matric.
"In addition to this, the education system must be restructured so
that excellence is recognised and valued, and poor performance is
rooted out."

Bold steps were needed to confront schools that were completely
dysfunctional and the DA would, among other things, create a dedicated
dysfunctional schools task team, implement a mentoring programme, and
set clear performance targets.

A strong emphasis would also be placed on ensuring that the
requirements of special-needs learners were adequately met.

On funding school education, he said the DA would support fee-free schools.

"But in allocating money, we will use a formula which also measures
schools' performance to give those schools that consistently produce
outstanding results an incentive to continue doing so.

"To further increase the options available to poor parents, every
school will be required to accept a minimum percentage of non
fee-paying pupils".

A nation-wide bursary voucher programme would be created aimed at
giving the most academically promising 350 000 children from
low-income families the opportunity to receive a better school
education," Boinamo said.

Deputy spokesperson Desiree van der Walt said the DA would aim to
ensure that, within five years, South Africa had access to an
additional 25 000 teachers a year, and that every child was taught by
qualified and committed teachers.

"To increase the number of teachers we train, we will work with
universities to establish satellite teacher training campuses in
remote areas and institute full study bursaries for quality candidates
who undertake to teach in specific under-privileged areas for two
years."

It was imperative that teachers were able to properly convey their
subject to their learners, and all teachers should write standardised
knowledge assessments in the subjects they taught.

Pay increases and promotions would be dependent on passing these tests.

Teachers would also be subject to a system of regular individual
performance review, something taken for granted in most other jobs.

"Performance and skills will become as much an accepted part of a
teacher's pay package as it is for any other professional.

To spread the skills of teachers with scarce skills more widely, the
DA would introduce the concept of Master Teachers who would teach a
single subject they had particular expertise in at several schools,
she said.

Click here to download the full
policy…http://www.da.org.za/wp-content/uploads/da_education_policy-preparing_for_success-2008-10-07.pdf

ZILLE AND MOTLANTHE MEET

President Kgalema Motlanthe has not ruled out a judicial commission of
inquiry into the arms deal, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille
said last Friday.

Speaking outside the presidential guest house in Pretoria after
meeting Motlanthe, Zille said she was encouraged by Motlanthe's
thoughtfulness on the issues she raised.

These ranged from crime, a judicial inquiry into the arms deal and a
political solution to African National Congress President Jacob Zuma's
legal matters.

"He certainly did not rule out any judicial commission of inquiry into
the arms deal when I asked him specifically about that."

She said the president had told her he was waiting for the appeals on
the Judge Chris Nicholson judgement regarding Zuma and the standing
committee on public accounts to deal with the issue, and then he would
definitely look at it.

"So I'm encouraged by that thoughtfulness and that focus."

She said the institutions of constitutional independence from the
ruling party also came up for discussion, and that Motlanthe had fully
agreed and that he gave his sincere commitment that he would defend
their independence.

On a political solution to Zuma's legal matters, Motlanthe also gave
Zille the assurance that he was opposed to a political solution to a
legal problem, and that he regarded no one as above the law.

"I put that question to him directly."

Zille reiterated that Zuma should not stand as a candidate for state
president until the cloud over him had lifted.

"I do not think that a potential candidate who has been accused of
taking 783 bribes over a period of 10 years, namely Mr Jacob Zuma,
should be eligible as a presidential candidate until the cloud over
his head has been lifted by due process of the law.

"That is why I believe it is completely untenable for him to be a
candidate until such time," said Zille

DISINTEGRATION OF THE ANC HERALDS A NEW AND EXCITING ERA IN SOUTH AFRICA

The Democratic Alliance last Wednesday welcomed former defence
minister Mosiuoa Lekota's move to realign SA politics.

"The DA welcomes Mosiuoa Lekota's sharp criticism of Jacob Zuma's ANC
and his call for a national debate to discuss the future of our
constitutional democracy," DA leader Helen Zille said.

"The disintegration of the ANC has begun, heralding an exciting new
era in South Africa. We have long championed the realignment of
politics which is now clearly underway," she said.

The DA was open to discussing the way forward with Lekota and his
colleagues and would seek an opportunity to do this as soon as
possible.

The DA was prepared to work with any party or individual sharing its
vision of a non-racial South Africa united behind the Constitution.

"We are committed to building a new political vehicle to tackle
poverty and unemployment, to root out corruption and to beat the
scourge of crime," she said.

"We share Mosiuoa Lekota's rejection of resurgent tribalism in the
ANC, the anti-constitutional rhetoric of Zuma's supporters and the
illegal and unconstitutional idea of a 'political solution' to the 783
counts of alleged bribery with which Jacob Zuma has been charged."

The DA would continue to work with all parties that shared its
commitment to the Constitution to challenge Zuma's ANC for power at
the next election.

"We will also make our case to the electorate, which is beginning to
get used to the idea of real choice.

"This is good for South Africa and good for the cause of the open,
opportunity society that the DA is building," Zille said.

DA WELCOMES SCOPA DECISION ON ARMS DEAL

The Democratic Alliance last week welcomed parliament's public
accounts committee (Scopa) decision to put the arms deal back on the
agenda.

"After many requests from the DA to do so, Scopa has finally agreed to
take the matter further at a committee meeting later this month," DA
spokesperson Eddie Trent said last Thursday.

The DA had already informed Scopa that it wanted to call a number of
people, ranging from former committee members to the National
Prosecuting Authority, to give testimony on the subject of corruption
and the arms deal.

"Scopa has dragged its heels on the matter of the arms deal and has
made no progress since its February 2008 decision to accept the spirit
of the DA's suggestion to investigate the matter further," he said.

The lack of progress on Scopa's part was directly linked to the
ambivalence surrounding future ANC leadership.

"Unsure of which ANC faction is going to be in power next year, I
believe that certain members of the ANC component are dragging their
heels rather than taking decisive action on the arms deal, and thus
running the risk of making enemies," Trent said.

"Politics should not stand in the way of the pursuit of accountability
and the DA will continue to pursue the Arms Deal corruption saga until
the full truth is known," he concluded.

DID YOU KNOW

It was revealed in its latest annual report that the South African
Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC) posted a R500-million loss in
2007/08.

The loss reflected in the SARCC's annual report comes despite an
increase in its fare revenue and overspending was attributed to
overpaying its personnel and failure to make any major investments in
rail infrastructure. The report notes that:

• No major infrastructure improvements were completed in the 2007/08
financial year.
• The SARCC exceeded its operational expenditure by 7% largely because
of overspending on personnel costs, energy and security.
• Personnel costs alone increased by R500 million from R1.5 billion in
2006/07 to more than R2 billion in the current financial year.
• The CEO's package rose by over 40% from R1.38 million to R2 million
with an additional R40 000 increase to his travelling allowance of
R120 000.

EYE ON CRIME

SOUND SUSPICIOUS?
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/452

DOES POVERTY=CRIME?
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/449

MURDER SURVEY ON LARGE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/447

CLIMB AGAINST CRIME
http://www.eyeoncrime.co.za/?q=node/446