By Simon Nare
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has defended the signing of the Expropriation Bill into law and warned that steps will be taken against any minister who does not implement government policies.
Speaking ahead of the ANC national executive committee lekgotla, Mbalula accused the DA of trying to manipulate the Government of National Unity to not implement an Act that was passed in the National Assembly.
He said the DA was part of the process in the National Assembly were the Bill was debated and passed, and now it was acting as if the Act was something new.
He warned that any minister who was not going to implement government laws or policies was going to be held accountable.
“Once the Act is an Act, as a minister you have to implement it, otherwise we will take you to task for non-implementation of the Act. We will take you to task in terms of the legislature of the National Assembly. We will hold you accountable.
“Secondly, we will take you to task for non-implementation of an Act of the government and the people of South Africa, which is constitutional. So, you have got no choice, lawfully. You can’t run government like it is your stokvel to do what you want and if it doesn’t happen you can disappear with the money of the stokvel. It doesn’t work like that,” he warned.
This follows Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson taking to social media and vowing that expropriation of private land would not happen under his watch. Macpherson is a DA member in the Government of National Unity.
Mbalula said anyone was welcome to legally challenge any Act as the system allowed for checks and balances. He added that if the DA felt the new law was inadequate, it was free to take the matter to court.
The DA announced on Saturday that it was going to court after consulting with its lawyers who said the Act was unconstitutional.
“So, they are free to do so. Rather than grandstanding and seek to deal with this matter as if it’s something new… No, we cannot agree to that.
“This country must be transformed in all aspects. And that’s what people vote for. When you see your vote counts, you see it now. You voted for transformation for things to change for the better. To change from undesirable to desirable, equality doesn’t mean we sing the national anthem together, it goes beyond that,” he said.
Mbalula said there was a fundamental problem of land in the country and that anyone who disagreed, it was indicative of where they came from.
He added that the ANC would not apologise for transforming the country and would fight off those who did not want the country to advance.
He said even the new law to deal with land was not enough, and the party wanted a total transformation.
Mbalula committed the party to address the land question through legal means and not via land grabbing.
He added that the policy of willing seller willing buyer was not sufficient in advancing the country and the ANC’s vision to deal with land redistribution and equality.
On the lekgotla meeting, a focus was on rebuilding the ANC’s branches, and that the renewal agenda must prioritise restoring public trust and ensuring the ANC remained a decisive and ethical leader of society.
The other priorities were economic growth and job creation as well as service delivery and accountability.
Meanwhile, Mbalula has reportedly confirmed that five ANC NEC members including Zizi Kodwa, Obed Bapela, Cedric Frolic, Malusi Gigaba and David Mahlobo will appear before disciplinary committee on state capture charges and misconduct.
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