Last week, we learnt from StatsSA that SA’s economic growth (0.8%) was below population growth (1.2%) in 2018.
So the average South African got poorer for a fifth year in a row. This shows it is not enough to put a new driver into the old ANC bus.
South Africa needs to move beyond liberation movement politics and into a post-liberation era of clean, capable, citizen-centred government that can put a job in every home, eradicate corruption, build a professional police service, secure our borders and deliver better services.
On Saturday the DA launched its Gauteng Manifesto, our plan of action for how we will get Gauteng working. The province has massive potential.
The DA has already proved itself in Johannesburg and Tshwane which accounted for 162 000 of the 172 000 new jobs created in Gauteng last year. And DA-led Midvaal, has sustained economic growth of 10% for over a decade, with the lowest unemployment in Gauteng.
We will build on our success in Gauteng by actively supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs through funding, innovation hubs and partnerships. We’ll make it easier to do business by cutting red tape and by revitalizing and expanding industrial parks.
We’ll provide space for informal traders, pay suppliers on time, and support the development of new CBDs in Soweto, Tembisa and Mamelodi.
And we’ll lobby for police competency to be given to the province, since a more local approach will be far more effective in fighting crime.
There is nothing inherently wrong with Gauteng or with our country. We just need clean, capable government. Over the past ten years of DA government in the Western Cape, the province has pulled far ahead of the other provinces precisely because it’s had clean, capable government.
Outgoing premier Helen Zille is the first to admit there is still much to be done. But the province has progressed despite bad policy at the national level. It now has a professional, capable administration that is well-positioned to accelerate delivery.
Below this newsletter I’ve listed some highlights from Helen’s final State of the Province Address, and I’d like to thank her for her incredible contribution.
This impressive progress comes from putting citizens’ interests first and prioritizing the most vulnerable. They show that Western Cape citizens did well to place their trust in the DA.
The DA’s Western Cape Manifesto sets out how we will build on these achievements. We will work to secure the Western Cape’s power supply through Independent Power Producers, because we cannot rely on Eskom to keep the lights on.
We will fight for a provincially managed rail service so that bus and train transport can be integrated. And we will fight for policing to be devolved to provinces (those provinces that have the capability), so that we can build a professional provincial police service.
On 8 May, please vote for clean, capable DA government that builds One South Africa for All.
Warm regards,
Tags: Election 2019
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