Maimane slams president at rally
SPEAKING at a May Day rally in Blue Downs yesterday, leader of the DA Mmusi Maimane said it didn’t feel like there was something to celebrate on International Workers Day.
“We’re free to work, but 9 million of our sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters have no jobs,” Maimane said.
Maimane said workers formed the backbone of the economy and they should be celebrated. “The day is also earmarked to pay tribute to those who provide daily services in hospitals, schools, as well as those responsible for building infrastructure. It is also a day in which we celebrate and honour the millions of working South Africans who help build this country every day, forming the backbone of our economy.”
Maimane also lambasted the presidency in his speech saying that millions of workers stood to lose their jobs if Jacob Zuma “has his way”.
“He’s turned our government into a crime syndicate. He’s turned our National Treasury into his personal piggy bank. He’s sold our sovereignty to the Gupta family.
“Jacob Zuma’s lying, stealing, cheating government is wrong. It is no longer playing by the fair rules of the game, and it is taking South Africa in the wrong direction. It is crippling our economy and hurting our ability to create work for millions,” Maimane said.
Maimane added that Zuma was re-enriching a small elite.
“Zuma talks about radical economic transformation, but what he means is radical re-enrichment of a small elite, including his friends, the Guptas. Our economy doesn’t need Jacob Zuma’s radical transformation. It needs a complete modernisation, because our old economic practices simply aren’t working.”
Maimane said they were calling for a jobs and justice fund to support new micro-enterprises.
“We need to place small businesses at the centre of our economy and support them through a capable state, because they must spearhead our job-creation project.
“We need to create a safe and predictable investment climate – not one in which the cabinet gets reshuffled in the dead of night,” he said.