DA Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Zuma sacks Pravin Gordhan in Cabinet reshuffle

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 22:00:00 +0000

President Jacob Zuma’s sacked South Africa’s highly respected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in a late- night Cabinet reshuffle that threatens to split the country’s ruling alliance.

He’s given control of the purse strings to former Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba.

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The value of South Africa’s currency, the rand, tumbled more than three percent, after President Jacob Zuma wielded the axe against Finance Minister Pravin Gordan and nine of his colleagues.

Ten deputy ministers were also sacked.

The include Mcebisi Jonas who turned down a multi-million rand bribe from the Gupta family to do their bidding.

The Guptas were found by then Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to be implicated in an operation to capture Zuma’s government.

Zuma has overridden severe opposition to the reshuffle from the leadership of the ruling African National Congress and its alliance partners the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions when he gave them notice of his intention.

They maintain Gordan was doing a sterling job controlling government spending and fighting corruption.

Deputy Secretary General of the SACP Solly Mapaile told a press conference yesterday that his five comrades serving in the Zuma Cabinet may quit

The opposition Democratic Alliance has introduced a parliamentary motion of no confidance in Zuma.

The hard left Economic Freedom Fighters has initiated action in the Constitutional Court to get Zuma impeached.

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Closest run election for South Africans in 22 years

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 22:00:00 +0000

South Africans go to the polls today for the closest fought election since the onset of democracy 22 years ago.

The ruling African National Congress, is in danger of losing control of local authorities in the administrative capital Pretoria, the commercial capital Johannesburg and the former ANC stronghold of Port Elizabeth.

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The South African Police Service and the Independent Electoral Commission are assuring South Africans they’ll be able to vote efficiently, secretly and peacefully.

This has been a deadly campaign in the ANC stronghold of KwaZulu Natal where at least 13 people, including election candidates, have been killed.

The election has seen the three main parties – the ANC, the Democratic Alliance which is the official opposition and the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters battle for the soul of previous leaders.

To the chagrin of the ANC, the DA claims that anti-apartheid icon and first democratic president Nelson Mandela would have voted for the them were he still alive.

EFF leader Julius Malema called on former president Thabo Mbeki to beg for the vote from the man whom he was party to humiliating with an early recall from the top job in 2008.

The issues in this election are the ANC’s failure to meet commitments to provide essential services and burgeoning corruption, nepotism and cronyism within President Jacob Zuma’s government.

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Zuma turns on the charm in Cape Town

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 22:00:00 +0000

As the ANC prepares to celebrate its 103^rd birthday on Saturday, President Jacob Zuma has targeted the Western Cape which is the only one of South Africa’s nine provinces not under the control of the ruling party.

Zuma turned on the charm and the promises saying the ANC should regain the province at elections scheduled for 2016.

President Jacob Zuma’s taken to the streets of Cape Town building up excitement about the ANC’s birthday celebration this weekend.

Accompanied by party’s Western Cape Provincial Chairman Marius Fransman, he was warmly received by residents who had waited for two hours for his arrival.

Zuma told them that he would unveil a plan of action for the province at the party’s celebrations on Saturday.

The ANC’s calling on Cape Town residents to cast their votes wisely and unseat the Democratic Alliance that has controlled the province since 2009.

Zuma rejected opposition claims that the Western Cape is a model of how it could govern nationally, saying it’s the only province led by people who don’t even know the struggles of the poor, who only focus on helping those in their own areas.

He says the ANC fought for freedom, and is now fighting to change the lives of the people for the better.

The DA has increased the slim 51 percent majority that gave it the Western Cape six years ago to sixty percent at last year’s elections.

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