THE ANC went too far when it took Israel to the International Court of Justice.
And God will judge the ruling party for their action.
These remarks were made by the leader of the African Christian Democratic Party, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, during the debate on the State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Wednesday, 14 February.
“ANC, you have gone too far and your judgement day is imminent. You have invited a curse on yourself, and you are going to get it,” he said.
Meshoe said taking Israel to court will not improve the Israel-Palestine situation.
“It is not possible for Israel to live in peace next to Hamas who has vowed to repeat the despicable atrocities they carried out on 7 October last year, which reportedly included rape, murder, abduction and beheading,” he said.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said the Bible verse Meshoe quoted was supposed to spread love not violence.
“What happened to Thou Shall Not Kill? The apartheid government used the Bible to justify the genocide it was committing in South Africa. You cannot justify genocide in Palestine through the Bible. You can only use the Bible to spread love, togetherness and peace. It cannot be used for what Reverend Meshoe wants to use it for,” he said.
DA Chief Whip Siviwe Gwarube said Ramaphosa’s attempt to sanitise the lived reality of South Africans fell flat on Thursday night, 8 February, when he delivered his Sona.
“His revisionist and dishonest fairy tale is an insult to those who know the truth. They know the truth because they live. They know what was told to them was a lie concocted by a bunch of speech writers and not the daily nightmare that was once touted as a new dawn,” she said.
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She said the Tintswalo that Ramaphosa spoke about as having a better life under the ANC government was an exception, not a norm.
She said there was Thabang who lives in Alexandra whose world view was characterised by poor service delivery, joblessness and hopelessness.
She said none of his family members had made it out or escaped the clutches of poverty.
“Under the Ramaphosa presidency, there is no hope that he ever will,” said Gwarube.
She said he was there when Ramaphosa, at the height of the election campaign in 2019, promised people of Alexandra, north of Joburg one million houses.
“He watches with dismay when you speak tough on corruption, yet your very own deputy president (Paul Mashatile) has been embroiled in the looting of money meant for the Alex renewal project. Your hypocrisy is not lost on him,” she said.
She said Ramaphosa focused on the past 30 years instead of his five years in office.
“He too is ashamed of his record in government. He too knows South Africans are worse off today than they were in 2019 when he took over that office. He too knows that his government’s time is up,” she said.
Congress of the People MP Teboho Loate said townships continue to manifest limited economic opportunities, and residents have to compete for a share in minibus taxis, taverns and temporary work offerings.
“High unemployment rates persist there, and residents hardly have upward mobility and economic or financial stability.
“Essential services such as water, sanitation, and electricity are insufficient. Poor road networks and inadequate public transportation affect mobility and economic participation,” said Loate.
He said a significant percentage of township residents lack the necessary skills for entrepreneurship and formal employment.
“In many of these townships, like Diepsloot, Dunoon, Botshabelo, and Olieventhoutbosh, among others, high crime rates prevail, exacerbated by gangsterism, mob justice, inadequate policing, and limited community safety measures. The people have been left in the lurch by the criminal justice system.
There is overcrowding, inadequate health services and no significant effort for revitalisation and social upliftment where the majority live,” he said.
ANC MP and Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel said many factories were opened or expanded in the past five years and more were set to be opened in the next few months.
He mentioned food facilities that were built in KZN, a new biscuit factory in Western Cape and a brick manufacturing plant in Gauteng, which he said they would boost industrialisation.
