Following last night’s cabinet reshuffle, the centre of political gravity and the last hope for the South African democracy rests with the people of South Africa and their parliamentary representatives. The events have clearly established that renewal will not come from within the ranks of the ruling party which has clearly been captured by a narrow clique around the president and his corrupt business cronies.
We call on the South African public to make their dissatisfaction known on the streets, in the branches of their political parties and at the ballot box. And to convey, in no uncertain terms, their rejection of the ruling clique to their elected representatives in their communities, their provinces and their Parliament.
It must be understood that the target of last night’s reshuffle was the National Treasury. This will impact on the critical functions of the treasury itself and also on the institutions that make up the cluster of financial institutions of state, namely South African Revenue Services, the Reserve Bank and the key financial and banking regulatory institutions.
The reshuffle also represents a slap in the face for Parliament. It recently called for the removal of Faith Muthambi; she has been promoted to political head of the public service. Parliament expressed its acute dissatisfaction with Bathebile Dlamini; she has been retained.
Corruption Watch would like to see a motion of no-confidence in the president debated in Parliament which, we demand, be recalled for this purpose. The public can then see who stands with the rogue president and who supports the South African democracy. And the parliamentarians in the ruling party should know that when their choices result in the inevitable decline in the ruling party’s electoral support, it is those backbenchers – not the newly appointed minsters and deputy ministers – who will lose their seats and their livelihoods.
A mass mobilisation will take place at 10h00 at Church Square today, Friday 31 March 2017 and also at the parliamentary precinct at 11h00.
Contact:
Patience Mkosana: 072 992-8380
Moira Campbell: 083 995-4711
