ATM statement on vote of no confidence to President Cyril MatamelaRamaphosa

6 February 2020

MOTION IN TERMS SECTION 102(2) OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AGAINST PRESIDENT CYRIL MATAMELA RAMAPHOSA TABLED IN TERMS OF RULE 129(1) OF THE RULES OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BE PLACED ON THE ORDER PAPER.

BACKGROUND TO THE MOTION

ATM being a faith-based organisation gave this 6th administration under the leadership of President Ramaphosa a benefit of the doubt, at the back of the majority, albeit reduced electoral support they got. We thought as social democrats we should respect the will of the majority.

This 6th administration is the most advised administration since the dawn of democracy. As South Africans we have lost count on the number of advisory bodies and various envoys. Regrettably it would appear that even the advices are either falling on deaf ears or poorly implemented. It is safe to say this country has a parallel Cabinet but still no positive outcome.

South Africa allowed President Ramaphosa a free hand to do things the new dawn way but the country keeps sliding.

There has been Summit after summit; Round table after round table; Pledges after pledges; One Investment Conference after another; Youth gatherings and various women engagements, but instead the country keeps sinking.

As ATM we are not aware of anything positive in South Africa except the patience of the people which is also wearing thin.

Even the business community that was very supportive of President Ramaphosa is fatigued and exasperated because of inaction of President Ramaphosa on anything that should take the country forward. Ramaphoria is no more.

Many people in private conversations and some publicly are very sad to accept that South Africa has been on a slippery slope ever since President Ramaphosa occupied the highest office in the land. The New Dawn that was promised has in fact become a nightmare for virtually all the citizens of South Africa. The 3% growth that President Ramaphosa promised during his campaign has been nothing but a mirage. The economy of the country has taken a turn for the worst with declining growth rates estimates as a norm.

At nearly 60% country debt to GDP, South Africa is swimming at debt levels that are unprecedented in our young democracy, with no sign of recovery. Not a single rating agency nor IMF forecasts have a positive outlook for the country. It is inconceivable how the country would escape the imminent downgrading into junk status and thus plunging the nation further down the cliff.

Since President Ramaphosa took the reigns, corruption levels in the country are on an exponential growth path, with irregular expenditure for the first time peaking at R60bn+ in the financial year 2018/19, ​a whooping R10bn increase, yet no-one is held accountable.

Joblessness, increased poverty and hopelessness are fast becoming a defining feature for South Africa.

The general level of violence and lawlessness particularly at schools and brutality against women is on a new high. Here in Gauteng MEC Lesufi is fighting fires daily with violent school children. This is a clear sign of a sick society under Mr Ramaphosa’s watch. South Africa was never like this. We need our country back.

Almost a year later after general elections we learn through the media that President Ramaphosa has still not signed performance agreements with any of his Ministers. In other words, we have a highly paid and resourced but directionless Cabinet. This actually amounts to fruitless and wasteful expenditure directly by the executive.

This ship has no captain, enough is enough.

To further tolerate this poor performance is the same as being complicit in this mess.

It is against this background that the ATM in furtherance of our mandate from the people of South Africa had to rise on rule 129(1) of the rules of National Assembly, to table a motion of no confidence in the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Cyril MatamelaRamaphosa in terms of Section 102(2) of the Constitution of South Africa. We deserve far better as South Africans.

Apart from the uninspiring general background already painted, ATM thought it prudent to also list some specifics wherein if President Ramaphosa was a competent leader would have guided the nation better. We list about fifteen, non-exhaustive such specifics.

The President’s failure to disclose to parliament, R500,000.00 Bosasa or the late Mr. Gavin Watson donation where he benefited personally as a presidential candidate of his party.

The President misled or lied to the Nation saying there would be no-load shedding until 13 January 2020, which was not true. How can we trust anything else that he says?

The President’s failure to act against the Minister of Public Enterprises and the ESKOM board for misleading him on the load shedding programme.

Loss of confidence in the South African Government by local and international investors due to indecisiveness and poor to non-existent leadership by the Head of State. The interview of the CNN business editor Richard Quest by Bruce Whitfield on the sidelines of the Davos conference provided a solid deep-stick of the loss of confidence by the international community in the Government of South Africa under the leadership of President Ramaphosa. Even local senior economists like DawieRoodt concur that the future is very uncertain.

The President’s failure to attend to the national outcry for a victim centric justice system where retribution through death penalty is tested in a referendum. Even the women’s league of his own organisation is on public record calling for the death penalty. But the man won’t even reply to formal letters written to him by parties represented in parliament like ATM.

The President’s failure to deal with the catastrophic level of unemployment which has now reached way unacceptable proportions of nearly 30%, thus posing a threat to national security. More than 10m people are unemployed. The uprising by the poor is imminent. Procurement Laws like PPPFA continue to lock out mainly Black business and medium sized businesses that are known the world over for creating jobs. PFMA continues to destroy SOC’s through its poor governance framework where the Boards are operational by design and interference by politicians is legislated.

The President’s failure to deal with the level of inequality which is recorded by world bank and other international organisations to be the highest in the world, and further deteriorating under his watch.

The killing of women has increased uncontrollably to unprecedented levels, with 3000 women murdered in 2018 under the watch of President Ramaphosa, while number of sexual crimes including rape and sexual assault jumped by 4,6% to more than 50 000. Criminality is winning. All we get are patronising speeches and a permanently shocked President.

The President’s failure to stop the collapse of State-Owned Companies. Our SOC’s are either under business rescue, under administration, surviving on

bail-outs or at the brink of liquidation. ​This should have been an easy task for him because in the 5th administration he was the chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee that was responsible for overseeing the stabilisation and reform of State Owned Companies.

The President’s failure to deal with landless problems of the majority of the

People in South Africa in particular the poor Africans. Instead we have a land bill that has the trickery of the century, where Expropriation Without Compensation has now become Expropriation with Nil Compensation, meaning the principle of compensation is upheld through the back door. So once again the nation is being lied to with all the populist platitudes of Expropriation Without Compensation.

The President’s failure to ensure that Post Bank is given a commercial Banking license and converted into State Bank.

The President has neglected his duty to the poor in favour of his personal funders who funded his own campaign to become the President of his own party. The developmental agenda has been shelved in favour of the neo-liberal and colonial agenda. The water crisis in Qwaqwa, Mamusa, Xolobeni, Hammanskraal to name but a few is indicative of a crisis in leadership.

The President has failed to take the nation into his confidence by not revealing the identities of his campaign funders, instead to this day he acted with disdain to the nation by acquiring a Court order to seal the identities of his campaign funders. How can South Africa be led by someone that keeps secrets from her? We all know that there are no free lunches.

The President’s failure to secure borders of South Africa and thus enabling influx of illegal and undocumented foreign nationals into the country. The safety of the citizens of this country remains precarious due to untraceable perpetrators. South Africa is a sovereign state that should guard against infiltration by unknown people. Our border gates must be the only points of entrance and exit, just like all other countries in the continent and in the world.

The President’s failure to protect the micro economy of the country for the exclusive ownership by South Africans so that the GDP of the country can be improved. Most African countries are unapologetic about looking after their own citizens. Brexit is another nationalistic programme. If South Africans cannot be first in their own country, then where?

In conclusion, as ATM we are saying, up to here and no further.

The fish rots from the head, we therefore call on all South Africans to put pressure on all members of Parliament to advance the interests of South Africa ahead of the interests of those that are controlled not even by their parties but by those who funded their campaigns. We call on the patriotic duty of members of Parliament to help us help South Africa out of this misery.

The time has come to work together to get a leader that will Put South Africa 1st.

Thank you.

Issued by Vuyolwethu Zungula, President, African Transformation Movement, 6 February 2020