Riyaz Patel
Interim Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has embarked on what he calls the “real state of the nation” tour.
Steenhuisen said the aim is to “reconnect with the electorate” and those most affected by the ailing economy and the lack of service delivery.
He dubbed his countrywide engagements as the ‘Real State of the Nation Tour,’ ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 13 February.
“I am here on the first stop of my real state of the nation tour as I am visiting all nine provinces around the country to assess what the real state of the nation is and what the real issues that matter to ordinary South Africans are.”
Steenhuisen’s first engagement was in Kempton Park where he visited the Tembisa Hospital and the abandoned Kempton Park Hospital.
“My first stop has been here at the Kempton Park Hospital which has been abandoned since the late 1990s – this an environment where there are two hospitals nearby, the Tembisa Hospital and Edenvale Hospital, which suffer terribly from overcrowding.”
He added, “For 23 years this hospital has stood abandoned and in limbo – neither condemned to be torn down, nor committed to be refurbished. During this time, the patient load on the surrounding hospitals – and particularly the nearby Tembisa Hospital – has increased to near breaking point.”
“We will be using these to take them back to parliament to put in the table workable alternatives about how we address these issues,” said Steenhuisen.
In a statement released to coincide with the tour, he said: “I would like to speak about the critical issue of healthcare – both here in Gauteng, and in the whole of South Africa.
As you know, government is determined to push through with its ill-advised National Health Insurance, despite mounting evidence and expert opinion pointing out just how bad an idea this is. The very last thing we need is more government control over healthcare.”
“All of this will be disastrous for us as a country, but we don’t have to stand for it. Wherever you can, you must speak out against these plans. Voice your objections, sign petitions, make submissions. Let them know that you will not allow our country to be dragged backwards. In this democracy, the power lies in your hands, not theirs.”
