Note to Editors: Please find the attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Dr Roy Jankielsohn MPL, Leader of the Opposition in the Free State.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns the acts of violence and intimidation against Free State residents, their property and public infrastructure over the past few weeks.
Municipalities across the Free State have become dysfunctional and are unable to deliver basic services due to ANC related factionalism, incompetence and corruption. The anger of citizens is legitimate and should be directed towards the party responsible for this during elections, not against innocent fellow residents.
Much of the unrest is related to internal ANC faction fighting over access to the last few resources in the province. The DA have given ANC politicians, many of whom are now part of protests, democratic opportunities through motions of no confidence against senior politicians and officials in municipal councils to deal with administrative blockages to better services and improved financial management.
The current unrest and acts of terror against fellow citizens across the Free State must be dealt with by law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system in terms of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (33 of 2004). In terms of this Act a “terrorist activity” is committed for the purpose of the advancement of an individual or collective political, religious, ideological or philosophical motive, objective, cause or undertaking that includes, among many others:
• the systematic, repeated or arbitrary use of violence by any means or method;
• endangers the life, or violates the physical integrity or physical freedom of, or causes serious bodily injury to or the death of, any person, or any number of persons;
• causes serious risk to the health or safety of the public or any segment of the public;
• causes the destruction of or substantial damage to any property, natural resource, or the environment;
• is designed or calculated to cause serious interference with or serious disruption of an essential service, facility or system, or the delivery of any such service, including, a system used for the delivery of essential government, a system used for, or by, an essential public utility, an essential infrastructure facility;
• causes any major economic loss or extensive destabilisation of an economic system;
• creates a serious public emergency situation or a general insurrection in the Republic;
• cause or spread feelings of terror, fear or panic in a civilian population; and
• unduly compel, intimidate, force, coerce, induce or cause a person, a government, the general public or a segment of the public to do or to abstain or refrain from doing any act.
The DA calls on individuals who are dissatisfied with poor services and the destruction of our economy and jobs to protect our democracy and constitutional order by voting for change in elections.
In a democracy you get the government that you vote for and must take personal responsibility for the outcome of your electoral choices.