DA interim leader John Steenhuisen says the ANC should charge ANC MP, Boy Mamabolo for using gender-based violence as a weapon for cheap politicking in Parliament. This comes after Mamabolo accused EFF leader Julius Malema of abusing his wife Mantoa Matlala-Malema in a parliamentary SONA debate.
Mamabolo has since apologised to Malema and his wife in a statement on Facebook.
Finally @BoyMamabolo has issued an apology on his Facebook page @SABCNewsOnline pic.twitter.com/9sjJwWxUll
— Benjamin Ngobeza (@BenjyNgobeza) February 21, 2020
Steenhuisen was briefing the media on the outcomes of the party’s two-day Federal council meeting in Johannesburg. The party is preparing for its policy conference on the 4-5 April.
Members of Parliament have come under fire for using gender-based violence to score political points in Parliament. Boy Mamabolo started the furore in Parliament by claiming that the leader of the opposition, Julius Malema abused his wife.
Malema, after delaying to answer, in return accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of abusing his late wife, Nomazizi.
President Ramaphosa apologised to Malema and his wife. Malema also followed suit and expressed regret whilst Mamabolo apologised to Malema on Facebook.
Steenhuisen says the DA wants Mamabolo to be charged.
“With GBV, I don’t blame Mr. Malema on his own. I believe that the fracas was started by the behaviour of Mr. Mamabolo in Parliament and I think his party must take action against him. But I think both sides of the house took Parliament to a new lows by discussing people’s personal lives and the trivialisation of millions of women who are victims of GBV, but we welcome the President’s comments. I think they struck the right tone.”
Steenhuisen says the party has resolved to start with a full review of the entire parole system in the country. This follows the public outcry after the murder of eight-year old Tazne van Wyk who was allegedly killed by a neighbour who was out on parole.
In the video below, Tazne van Wyk’s family speaks out for the first time following the eigh-year-old’s murder:
“In Parliament, we’ve resolved that we will embark on a full review on the entire parole system in South Africa by submitting parliamentary questions to Minster Ronald Lamola. We demand answers as to the conditions on how perpetrators are granted parole. On a daily basis, our country is confronted by the devastating news that mothers and daughters have lost their loves due to the gross negligence in the parole system.”
Meanwhile, the DA has backed Randal Williams to be the candidate for the next Tshwane Mayor following embattled Stevens Mogkalapa’s resignation.
Steenhuisen believes Williams is an excellent mayoral candidate to continue the DA-led coalition programme.
“According to our party, Mr Randall Williams is an excellent candidate. He is untainted by anything. No one has charged him and laid a complaint against him. We believe he will serve the people of Tshwane well,” he says.
The DA says members of the public are welcome to make inputs on its draft policy documents as they gear up for the party’s policy conference on the 4th and 5th of April.
After this process, we will emerge united and stronger. We have built good momentum recently and need to keep building on this momentum by focusing on what matters for the people of South Africa. #DAFedco pic.twitter.com/pU432L5cgC
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) February 23, 2020
