Only the DA can bring change that builds one South Africa for all: Maimane

Fighting corruption and state capture and ridding the country of the scourge for good would be a key focus of a Democratic Alliance (DA) government‚ the party's leader Mmusi Maimane said on Saturday.

Launching the party’s 2019 national elections campaign in Johannesburg‚ Maimane said it was clear that nothing had changed and that the country had not entered a “new dawn” after former president Jacob Zuma had vacated the office.

“The same corrupt people that sold our country to the Guptas under Zuma still occupy the top positions in this new government. No one was ever charged. No one was ever prosecuted‚” he asserted.

Maimane said other areas the DA would focus on were crime‚ jobs‚ immigration and service delivery. The party would focus on fixing the police force so that it could actually protect and serve the people.

“Right now‚ our police force can’t keep our communities safe. They’re not properly trained to do so‚ and they are riddled with corruption.

“The DA will transform SAPS into a lean‚ clean crime-fighting machine‚” Maimane said.

“We will only hire people with a passion for policing‚ and we will retrain existing officers so they can serve and protect with pride.

“We will also bring back the gang and drug units that were disbanded by the ANC government so that we can keep our communities‚ and particularly our young people‚ safe‚” the DA leader added.

The party would also focus on the crucial issue of employment‚ and how it could ensure that all South Africans had fair access to jobs.

“And when I say jobs‚ I mean real long-term‚ sustainable jobs‚” Maimane said‚ claiming that only the DA had a plan to harness the power of the private sector and the power of the entrepreneur to create these jobs.

“We have proven this beyond all doubt in the province and Metros where we govern. In the last year‚ three-quarters of all new jobs were created in the DA-run Western Cape.”

He added that state-owned enterprises had to be broken down and it had to be ensured that the country’s cities could build sustainable infrastructure and small businesses allowed to thrive.

“But our goal is not only to help create new jobs. It is also about making sure that young people have the skills and experience to make the most of these opportunities.

“We have some big plans to achieve this‚ like a year of voluntary national service for school leavers‚ and a network of job centres throughout the country.

“But jobs mean nothing if all our people can’t access them. And so the DA will make fair access to jobs a key focus.”

Maimane added that a DA government would charge and prosecute anyone who tried to solicit cash for jobs‚ or sex for jobs.

Securing the country’s borders was also a priority – “welcoming those who want to come here legally‚ but shutting out those who try to do so illegally”.

“Under the DA‚ we will immediately restore the law and order that this government has been unable to maintain.”

The DA would also seek to create a better quality of life for the country’s people by speeding up the delivery of basic services to all communities‚ and ensuring that the “people’s money is spent on the people”.

“And finally‚ our message is about justice. And it is justice that lies at the heart of the land question. We will ensure that more black South Africans are able to own land through secure private property rights.”