CONGRESS of the People (Cope) wants people to directly elect their president.
The party told a media briefing on Tuesday, 9 January that this would ensure an accountable and responsive government.
Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota said the Freedom Charter declared that: “People shall govern” and that meant it was up to the voters to choose who governs them.
“That is very important, and it carries a lot of meaning. The people shall govern means a multiple of things. First of all, that the people should choose who they want. If the people shall govern, it means they must elect who they want to govern them,” he said.
He said the declaration also meant that the people must be able to dictate what they want from the elected people.
"Today you can see they blocked the road going to KwaNdebele where the so-called president is supposed to travel to. What that tells you is that people want something different. They definitely don’t want this,” said Lekota.
Lekota said he did not go to Robben Island as a political prisoner for what is currently happening in Mzansi.
“I didn’t go there so we could have this nonsense we are seeing here. What is happening today is what we wanted for our people, definitely not,” he said.
He said the party adopted the position of the amendment of the Constitution in 2008.
“Today, we want to amplify once again our call for a Constitutional amendment for voters to directly elect the state president of our country instead of using the procedures under the current party list system that promotes party interests above the interest of the people of our land,” he said.
Lekota said this change should also apply to premiers and mayors.
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He said: “President Cyril Ramaphosa, like his controversy-ridden predecessor, has spectacularly failed to uphold his oath of office. He has shown neither total strength, commitment, nor true conscience in the service of the nation. Two of the past presidents have just been for themselves."
He claimed that under Ramaphosa, the national debt has soared, social contract has been broken as government has failed to deliver on its promises and public services have collapsed and could be seen with water crises nationwide and the collapse of many state-owned enterprises and most municipalities.
“Over many years, the Auditor-General’s reports have been shelved, allowing failure and corruption to continue without consequences. The trust deficit between political leaders and ordinary people has reached the stratosphere. According to the 2023 South African Reconciliation Barometer, 79% of South Africans believe that leaders cannot be trusted to do what is right. Fikile Mbalula has just admitted how those at the helm of the leadership of our country misled Parliament,” he said.
He said Mzansi would have been better off if a vote of no confidence debate kicked started the new Parliamentary year.
“State of the Nation Address will be just another charade,” said Lekota.
