MEDIA RELEASE FROM GOOD
14 FEBRUARY 2020
SONA commitments welcomed, but disrespect for the law is not good.
“We need to look at how we are raising young boys.”
GOOD supports many of the commitments made by the President during his 2020 SONA address, but leader Patricia de Lille was not impressed with the protests inside parliament. She said that “Parliament is for the debate of ideas and South Africans are entitled to hear the President’s report back on progress from last year. Once the Speaker makes a ruling that should be the end of it. It is unfair that she allows the same points of order to be raised again and again.“
GOOD’s secretary-general Brett Herron deplored members of one political party threatening the family of another. Common human values cannot be sacrificed at the altar of political populism, he said. Herron believed that the EFF are simply scrambling as the law closes in on some of them.
De Lille said attitudes that tolerate a disrespect for the law must change. Permitting threatening and violent behaviour in our society must stop.
“We need to look at how we raise young boys. We as members of communities must help break the cycle of gender-based violence. For example, reviewing the bail conditions of perpetrators of GBV is good, because we must send out a very very strong message” she said.
Herron welcomed the detail and timelines provided for key issues like energy security. In 2016, De Lille took the Minister of Energy to court to fight for the right of municipalities to purchase their own renewable electricity directly from independent power providers. Solar and wind energy is now cheaper than new coal electricity and municipalities deserve to be able to obtain cheaper, safer, reliable electricity for their residents. The President’s commitment to authorising this will end that battle De Lille started – but only if the ANC backs the President on these commitments.
The honest acknowledgement of the effects of state capture, and government’s committing to keep fighting it, is important to restoring confidence in the country and enabling job-creating economic growth. GOOD commits to keep fighting and exposing corruption and halt the waste of our country’s resources.
The release of the 700,000 hectares of public land for agricultural land reform gives effect to GOOD’s call for government to use public land for the public good. “We also expect to see many properties in urban areas released to address housing and land demand in our towns and cities” said Herron.
Commitments to an accelerated programme for the provision of affordable social and student housing is also welcomed, but Herron cautioned that “affordable housing needs to be well located – close to jobs, close to services or close to good public transport facilities. The location of new housing projects cannot be allowed to perpetuate the development patterns of the apartheid, ANC and DA governments to date.”
Ends…