President Zuma out of touch with the suffering of South Africans
President Jacob Zuma showed us tonight that he is out of touch with the suffering of ordinary South Africans. This is what we have come to expect from a President who is more concerned with building his private presidential palace at Nkandla than attending to the needs of the people he is supposed to serve.
While the President painted a rosy picture of job creation under his tenure, the reality is very different.
When he was elected in 2009, President Zuma promised to create 5 million more jobs. Only 561 000 of these jobs have materialised. In other words, he has created only one job for every 10 he promised.
Today there are 1.4 million more unemployed South Africans than there were on the day he took office. Under President Zuma, the number of people entering the ranks of the unemployed every year is five times higher than it was under the presidency of Thabo Mbeki.
The truth is that the ANC of Jacob Zuma is not the same as the ANC of his predecessors. Of course South Africa is a better place today than it was in 1994 - no right-thinking citizen of our country should think otherwise. But the truth is that tonight's "good story" was not for Zuma to tell.
That is why the plans the President announced to create jobs have absolutely no credibility. He has let us down before, so why should we believe him now?
Like the ANC manifesto, the President's jobs promise is limited to providing 6 million "work opportunities". The President is still not clear on how we can break down the barriers to economic growth, and facilitate sustainable job creation in the private sector. The ANC still does not have a plan to create REAL jobs.
One of the greatest challenges to job creation today is the scourge of corruption. Here too, President Zuma has shown himself to be out of touch and in denial.
He has no credibility in the fight against corruption because he has still not answered for the 783 charges of corruption against him, as well as the R200 million in public money which he has spent on his private home at Nkandla.
If President Zuma were serious about fighting corruption, he would have announced policies and legislation to ensure that tender committees are open to all members of the public. If he wanted to lead by example, he would have used this opportunity to provide South Africans with a real explanation for the corruption scandals which have mired his presidency - from Nkandlagate to Guptagate and the Spy tapes.
What South Africa desperately needed to hear tonight was a bold plan to end corruption and create real, sustainable jobs in our economy. They deserved to hear what Zuma's plans for South Africa are, so that they can make an informed choice on the basis of the best policies.
But all we got was more of the same from a man who has lost the last semblance of credibility.
In my response to the President on Tuesday next week, I will outline the real state of our nation. It is a story of a country with infinite potential, held back by a failed President, who has reversed the progress of his predecessors. It is a story that can only have a happy ending if South Africans vote for change on 7 May 2014.
Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, DA Parliamentary Leader, February 13 2014
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
