The Official Statement of the SRC of the University of Pretoria following a meeting convened by the department of higher education and training (30.09.2016)

uop-rsa-30-09-2016-p1uop-rsa-30-09-2016-p2

COSATU, SACP pledge support to #FeesMustFall (Youtube-Clip)

“Cosatu and SACP say they will join the students on 14 October in a national march, this after students said they were “as good as useless if they don’t support us” (CityPressOnline, 2016)

Rhodes Univeristy States Representative Council on ‘Fees Must Fall’ (22.09.2016)

rhodes-uni-22-09-2016

South Africa Protests: 31 students arrested during tuition fee protest (Youtube-Clip)

ANCYL calling for moratorium on university fees increments (Youtube-Clip)

“The ANC Youth League is calling for moratorium on fee increments at institutions of higher learning, pending the outcomes of the Presidential Commission on free education. The youth league held a press briefing at Luthuli House this afternoon. It says it rejects Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande’s decision to have universities decide on 2017 fee increases, capped at 8 percent. The youth league says imposing a moratorium will force the commission to move fast, and says the minister’s announcement goes against the ANC NEC decisions” (SABC Digital News, 2016)

Readout for the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa (19.09.2016)

zuma_nkurunziza

The Secretary-General and the President discussed the importance of inclusive political dialogue in South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 19, 2016 – The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Jacob ZUMA, President of South Africa. The Secretary-General thanked South Africa for its many contributions to peace and security in Africa.

He urged South Africa to ratify the climate change agreement as soon as possible. He also drew attention to migration and refugee challenges and stressed the need for a truly global sharing of responsibilities.

The Secretary-General and the President discussed the importance of inclusive political dialogue in South Sudan, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hon. Marius Fransman resignation from the Western Cape Parliament (16.09.2016)

fransman-1-1

Friday, 16 September 2016, at 15h00

No embargo

I have resigned as a member of the Western Cape Legislature today after 17 years of parliamentary service, of which 14 years were in ministerial positions both at provincial and national level.

My decision, in 2013, to return to the Western Cape to fight alongside the poor and the downtrodden, and to address the imbalances between the haves and the have-not’s in creating an inclusive society, is being curtailed by the ongoing ANC internal turmoil, infighting and factions, makes it near impossible to execute my duties to ensure the upliftment of my constituents.

I can no longer justify a salary without the mechanism to deliver on my calling.

I have searched my conscience; I have applied my mind; I have consulted with trusted comrades, and with my family, and I have concluded that the ANC at all levels is at an ebb in its glorious 104 year history of excellence, indicated by internal strife and contradictory statements.

We didn’t join the struggle for such strife; we joined the struggle and our glorious movement to serve, and to serve with pride and dignity. I have reflected on the “Reconstruction and Development” and the “Ready To Govern” documents prior to 1994, and I have realized how far we have drifted from it.

The community wants an ANC restored to its former splendour and I believe that I may better answer to my calling by pursuing such an objective.

It is my humble submission that the organisation must unify anew.

I will dedicate my efforts to rebuild the trust between the people, civil society and the ANC. I will continue to serve the ANC as the elected provincial chairperson of the Western Cape. I call on all like-minded comrades and friends to join me in this quest. We must always remember that the ANC belongs to the people, and not to the leaders and to us in parliament. When we have internal strife, it’s ultimately the people who suffer.

My appreciation to all members of parliament who served with me beyond party political affiliation during my parliamentary tenure, accompanies this statement.

Issued by the ANC Western Cape Chairperson Marius Fransman.

MEPs back trade deal with six African countries (14.09.2016)

cotonou-agreement-cover

BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 14, 2016 –The European Parliament approved an agreement granting duty-free access to the EU for products from Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho, and improved market access for South Africa on Wednesday.

“This agreement will help our African partner states to reduce poverty and can also facilitate their smooth and gradual integration into the world economy. There are also many safeguards in the deal to ensure that local people truly benefit from this cooperation. The language on human rights and sustainable development is one of the strongest that you will find in any EU agreement”, said rapporteur Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (ALDE, DE), before the vote.

MEPs approved the deal by 417 votes to 216, with 66 abstentions.

Free access to EU markets

The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with six member states of the South African Development Community (SADCestablishes a “positive discrimination”, ensuring immediate duty- and quota-free access for their exports to the EU market. It also creates new regional opportunities through more flexible use of rules of origin.

The African countries will liberalise 86% of their trade with the EU (Mozambique 74%) over ten years with the exception of agricultural and fishery products. The deal replaces the previous interim agreements based on unilateral trade preferences and complies with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

Safeguards

While the agreement covers only trade and development cooperation, it leaves the door open for services, investment, intellectual property and public procurement. To mitigate potential negative impacts on the SADC countries, several safeguards were added to the deal. The EU undertook not to subsidize its agricultural exports to these countries.

The deal also lists trade-related areas that could benefit from EU development cooperation funding, but none is pledged at this stage.

Monitoring

In a July resolution, international trade MEPs advocated strengthening the monitoring of the agreement to ensure that “its benefits for the people are maximized”. The committee also tabled an oral question to the Commission for this plenary on parliamentary oversight and civil society monitoring.

Next steps: The deal will enter into force once the Council formally approves it and the national parliaments of the six African states ratify the text.

Note to the editors: in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement of 2000, African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the EU agreed to negotiate reciprocal, though asymmetric, trade agreements to comply with WTO rules and to support these countries’ development and integration into the world economy.

Negotiations were to be concluded by the end of 2007, but the process took longer and the EU finished negotiations with six states of the SADC Group in July 2014. Angola finally decided not to enter into the agreement, but may join in the future. 

Negotiations with six SADC states ended in 2014. The other eight (Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) belong to other regional EPA groupings.

Professor Itumeleng Mosala of the BCM sending a message to President Jacob Zuma (Youtube-Clip)

EFF Statement on Jacob Zuma’s Paying Back the Money (12.09.2016)

nkandla-takealot

The Economic Freedom Fighters notes that Jacob Zuma has paid back the money as directed by the Public Protector and the Constitutional Court. The EFF welcomes the indisputable fact that they money was paid because of the EFF’s insistence and persistence that the remedial actions of the Public Protector must be complied with. 

It was through EFF’s efforts and relentless struggle that Zuma paid back the money on the undue benefits he received through the largely corrupt construction of his private residence in Nkandla. The EFF’s work on anti-corruption and undue benefits to politicians should be celebrated by all South Africans because South Africa’s fiscus has additional money from Mr. Zuma.

The anti-corruption work of the EFF should be celebrated because it took our Organisation 2 years to stop the Nkandla corruption, whilst others had failed for many years. The anti corruption work of the EFF should be celebrated because the ruling party continues to harbor and protect corruption.

South Africa should celebrate the fact that no one under constitutional democracy is above the law, and that even a parliamentary majority should exist within the laws that govern our society. The ANC has demonstrated throughout the Nkandla debacle that they do not respect Parliament and the Laws that govern our country and will do everything to undermine the Constitution.

The EFF defeated defenders of corruption, the ANC, which unanimously defended Zuma and protected him from being held individually accountable. Now that the money has been paid, the EFF will seek legal advise to establish whether Mr. Zuma should be held criminally liable for being a recipient of criminal proceeds, since he has accepted that he unduly benefited. The EFF will do this because in the immediate aftermath of the Public Protector report on Nkandla, we opened a criminal case against Mr. Zuma in Sunnyside police station and we still hold the view that there was a certain degree of criminality in his actions.

The EFF will also seek further clarity on the main source and principle that led to a Mutual Bank (VBS Mutual Bank), which is supposed to benefit ordinary people in Vhembe, granting a loan to Mr. Zuma. We will do so to prevent a possible situation where monies are illegally moved in protection of one individual, whom the Constitutional Court said should be individually and personally liable for the non- security upgrades.

The EFF will also write to the relevant authorities, particularly the National Prosecutions Authority and Special Investigations Unit to follow up on the progress made in recovering the money that was overpaid to suppliers in the construction of Mr. Zuma’s private residence.

At all times, the EFF will remain consistent in the war against corruption because corruption is slowly but surely destroying South African society and will reverse the gains of political freedom.

ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIGHTERS FANA MOKOENA (ACTING NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON) Contact: 081 724 4799
Website:

Email:
Facebook: Economic Freedom Fighters OR || Twitter: @EFFSouthAfrica