DEMOCRATIC Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has formally laid a complaint against President Cyril Ramaphosa for allegedly failing Mzansi’s five million starving children.
Steenhuisen, on Thursday, 23 November, went to the offices of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to complain that Ramaphosa played the central role in bringing about the devastating situation.
He said according to the latest State of the South African Child Report by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, 4,8 million of the country’s 20 million children are starving.
“This shocking and tragic situation is the consequence of sheer negligence and disregard for the plight of our children on the part of President Ramaphosa, who alone has the power to intervene decisively,” he said.
Steenhuisen said the president has allowed the human catastrophe to continue instead of acting.
He claimed that this was an indictment on Ramaphosa, who when he travels in his presidential jet Inkwazi, costs up to R24 000 per person for a single flight.
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“To be clear, this human tragedy of unimaginable proportions is 100% avoidable and the DA has long urged President Ramaphosa and his government to implement the interventions required to address it.
"As set out by the DA in several statements, the immediate first step his government should take to address this crisis head-on is to raise the child support grant to the food poverty line. This most obvious and urgent intervention would cost just R26 billion,” said Steenhuisen.
He said the human cost in terms of suffering and the effect of stunting and lack of proper nutrition across the full span of these children’s lifetimes was extremely large.
The DA leader pointed out that Ramaphosa was aware of the economic reforms required to boost our economy and get it growing again.
"Implementing just a few of these reforms would grow our tax revenue sufficiently to cover this cost, as would cutting corruption, which his own government says costs the nation R27 billion per year.
“The nation elected him on the basis of his commitment to bring these economic reforms and to cut corruption. In this, President Ramaphosa has failed dismally,” said Steenhuisen.
He said he hoped that the SAHRC would find in favour of Mzansi's 4,8 million starving children and hold Ramaphosa to account for failing them.
“If not, voters must do so at the ballot box in the 2024 general election."
