LETTER: Cabinet needs to regain the nation’s trust
South Africans eagerly await progress towards a higher national moral ground in the GNU
22 July 2024 - 15:35
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President Cyril Ramaphosa yet again regurgitated his stale potage of programmes, plans, proposals and promises at the opening of parliament, and it remains to be seen how his new bloated, conflicted cabinet, short of state funds and lacking competence, can transform these into real results. (“Mixed reaction to Ramaphosa’s opening of parliament speech”, July 19).
South Africans eagerly await progress towards a higher national moral ground, expanded opportunities for economic growth, and an infrastructure that meets the needs of our growing population.
To regain the nation’s trust in government the cabinet must urgently deal with the avalanche of wrongdoing at the highest levels of government that has been swept under the carpet by the ANC government, allowing the corruption malaise to continue and spread.
The government of national unity (GNU) cabinet also needs to confirm a collective position on land reform (property rights and expropriation), foreign policy (Israel and Hamas), the National Health Insurance proposals, the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, the principle of proportionality in provincial cabinets, cadre deployment, the partial privatisation of state-owned enterprises and even the death penalty.
Prolonging uncertainty on these and other pressing national issues discourages foreign and local investment and negates a proactive national approach towards unity and socioeconomic progress.
Though the DA has apparently and rather opaquely “softened its stance” on various previously highly contentious issues, including some of the above, it is to be hoped that it will hold firmly and uncompromisingly onto the values and principles it has traditionally upheld.
SA needs DA ministers and deputies in the GNU who function transparently, with integrity and without fear or favour, even if it means holding their cabinet colleagues accountable for failure or other dubious, possibly corrupt, actions.
David Gant Kenilworth
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Cabinet needs to regain the nation’s trust
South Africans eagerly await progress towards a higher national moral ground in the GNU
President Cyril Ramaphosa yet again regurgitated his stale potage of programmes, plans, proposals and promises at the opening of parliament, and it remains to be seen how his new bloated, conflicted cabinet, short of state funds and lacking competence, can transform these into real results. (“Mixed reaction to Ramaphosa’s opening of parliament speech”, July 19).
South Africans eagerly await progress towards a higher national moral ground, expanded opportunities for economic growth, and an infrastructure that meets the needs of our growing population.
To regain the nation’s trust in government the cabinet must urgently deal with the avalanche of wrongdoing at the highest levels of government that has been swept under the carpet by the ANC government, allowing the corruption malaise to continue and spread.
The government of national unity (GNU) cabinet also needs to confirm a collective position on land reform (property rights and expropriation), foreign policy (Israel and Hamas), the National Health Insurance proposals, the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, the principle of proportionality in provincial cabinets, cadre deployment, the partial privatisation of state-owned enterprises and even the death penalty.
Prolonging uncertainty on these and other pressing national issues discourages foreign and local investment and negates a proactive national approach towards unity and socioeconomic progress.
Though the DA has apparently and rather opaquely “softened its stance” on various previously highly contentious issues, including some of the above, it is to be hoped that it will hold firmly and uncompromisingly onto the values and principles it has traditionally upheld.
SA needs DA ministers and deputies in the GNU who function transparently, with integrity and without fear or favour, even if it means holding their cabinet colleagues accountable for failure or other dubious, possibly corrupt, actions.
David Gant
Kenilworth
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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