DA Calls for an Election – “South Africa Needs a New Beginning, NOW”

Mmusi Maimane, Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), announced Wednesday morning in Cape Town that South Africa needs an election, and that the DA will table a motion in the National Assembly tomorrow… to dissolve Parliament, in order for an early general election to be held.

Speaking at a press conference in Parliament, Maimane said: “The ANC may have won in the No Confidence motion in Parliament yesterday, but it has lost the confidence of the country.”

He said: “Yesterday, Jacob Zuma survived yet again, protected by the party that elected him twice and shielded him from accountability countless times. South Africa now needs a new beginning.

“We believe the voters should now have the chance to express their opinion about the conduct of the ANC in defending Jacob Zuma. In short, we believe that Parliament should be dissolved now so that the country can hold an early election.

“We are sure that the ANC has lost the confidence of the majority of South Africans. We say, bring it on! Let’s fight an election for the future of our country, and let’s do it now. By the time Jacob Zuma has destroyed the ANC completely, and the country, it will be too late. Let’s let the country choose a new beginning, now.

“As such, the DA has taken a decision – in terms of Section 50 of the Constitution – to move a motion in the National Assembly to dissolve Parliament and for an early general election to be held. Section 50 of our Constitution states that the President must dissolve the National Assembly if the Assembly has adopted a resolution to dissolve with a supporting vote of a majority of its members, and three years have passed since the Assembly was elected.

“Yesterday was an historic moment for our nation, as it was the first time in 23 years of democracy that such a number of ANC MPs broke rank and voted with the opposition in defiance of the party line. Between 30 and 40 ANC MPs voted with a united opposition to signal a disapproval of, and lack of confidence in, the sitting President and his leadership. Jacob Zuma has brought the country, and his own party, to its knees.

“The significance of this outcome cannot be overstated. President Zuma survived only because members of parliament in the ANC voted for their own survival, and in support and defence of corruption, looting, and state capture.

“Yesterday’s vote made it clear to all South Africans that the divide in our country is not racial or political. It is between those who support and defend corruption, and those who are against it in all its forms. The ANC has shown yet again which side it is on.

“Opposition parties are coming together to fight the evil of corruption in the ANC and those in the ANC who voted with us yesterday are coming to the realisation day by day that their future is with us. Now is the time for us to come together to save our country.

“We believe that following yesterday’s Motion of No Confidence, Parliament requires a fresh mandate, and that mandate ought to be given by the voters through the ballot box. This motion will be tabled in Parliament tomorrow, 10 August 2017, and we will ensure it is debated and voted on as soon as practically possible.”

Maimane said that in addition to this motion, the DA will continue with its legal action against Jacob Zuma and “his group of corrupt friends”.

“We will see him in court next month – on 14 & 15 September, where he will have to defend himself in the Supreme Court of Appeal against the 783 charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering he still faces.

“The DA has also filed an intervening application in the matter currently before the Constitutional Court on procedures to be followed in impeachment proceedings against the President. This case forms a part of a wider push to ensure that President Zuma, as well as future heads of State, are held to account.

“South Africa cannot wait for December – that is a pipe dream. The change we need, and the new beginning we all want, will not come from an ANC elective conference in December. We need a new government, and a new beginning, now! That’s why we need fresh elections and a fresh mandate.”

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