Monday, 15 August 2022 | Welcome to our weekly bulletin that gets to the heart of South African news and politics.
🏛 Zuma’s parole case will test the principle of equality before the law
Today Jacob Zuma’s appeal process in the Supreme Court of Appeal began, in which he is asking the court to overturn last year’s High Court decision to rescind his unlawful medical parole. This came after the DA filed an urgent application challenging his medical parole.
DA Leader, John Steenhuisen, is following this case in person, because it is a crucial test of whether there is appetite in a post-Zondo South Africa to prosecute and sentence high profile ANC leaders.
Equality before the law is one of our democracy’s fundamental tenets.
🍾 SAPS, under Bheki Cele, are living it up on taxpayer money
Since Bheki Cele took office as Minister of Police, SAPS and the Ministry of Police have spent R1.58 billion on accommodation, R42.7 million on catering and R1.8 million on entertainment.
This emerged in a reply to a parliamentary question, and comes at a time when SAPS claims it is battling to uphold its constitutional mandate to protect the citizens of our country due to financial constraints.
It remains a mystery why President Ramaphosa cannot fire this Police Minister.
Read more: https://www.da.org.za/2022/08/cele-spends-r600-million-a-year-on-catering-and-accommodation
💙 Two weeks left to apply for the DA’s Young Leaders Programme
If you’re between the ages of 18 and 35 and want to make a contribution to your country, you have two weeks left to submit your application for the DA’s Young Leaders Programme of 2023.
This annual part-time programme identifies and up-skills tomorrow’s leaders in preparation for roles within the party or in our various governments.
Read more: https://www.da.org.za/get-involved/young-leaders-programme/
🇿🇦 Young poets are invited to enter the DA’s “What I love about SA” competition
To celebrate Heritage Day this year, the DA is holding a poetry competition for children in two age categories: 6 to 13 years, and 14 to 18 years. We’d like young, aspiring poets to tell us what it is about their country that they love the most.
There are great cash prizes on offer in both age categories – 1st: R2000, 2nd: R1000, 3rd: R500 – and all winning poems will be published on the DA’s social media platforms. Entries close at midnight on the 11th of September.
Read more: https://www.da.org.za/what-i-love-about-sa
Where we govern
👮‍♂ 100 more LEAP officers in the Western Cape brings the total to 1100
While Bheki Cele and SAPS, by their own admission, cannot guarantee to keep South Africans safe, the DA-run Western Cape government together with the City of Cape Town have put another 100 law enforcement officers on the streets as part of their Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP).
These law enforcement officers, whose numbers now stand at 1100 across the metro, have already made a massive impact in high-crime areas since their first deployment in February 2020, with 8500 arrests and 220 guns taken off the streets.
We thank these officers for the brave and hard work they do to keep Cape Town’s communities safe.
City embracing technology to benefit informal settlements
The DA-run City of Cape Town is testing new technologies, which will greatly benefit some of its most vulnerable residents in a new pilot project at its Bosasa Phase 2 development in Mfuleni.
The first phase of the project saw 1 000 structures within the area marked and numbered with a unique Quick Response (QR) code and City specific paint within just five hours.
The next phase will see department officials returning to the numbered structures to obtain consent and to proceed with the electronic capturing of survey questions.
The intended result of this pilot project will be direct interaction between the City and residents in informal settlements, providing up to date data for planning and budget purposes. Most importantly, each structure owner will be issued with a residence certificate linked to their respective Identity Document (ID), Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, electricity meter number, name, address and QR code.
🙋 Nearly 800 women step up to make a change
The DA-run City of Cape Town’s Women for Change programme has empowered 784 women to make a positive impact in their communities. The empowerment programme was created to capacitate women to play a more active and meaningful role in their communities, while acquiring new skills and developing on a personal level.
