JOHANNESBURG – The Al Jamah-Ah party said it’s disappointed in media group News24 for linking Muslims to the reported possible terror attack in Sandton this weekend.
The US Embassy issued a warning earlier this week, but the South African government dismissed the threat.
The party said News24 implied that Muslims were opposed to the gay pride event that will be hosted in Sandton over the weekend.
The headline reads: ‘Gay pride, comedy show, potential targets of Islamic state terror attack in Sandton’.
The party said although Islam’s theological views disagreed with queer people’s gender identity and sexual orientation, Muslims could not be linked to the Sandton terror attack.
The party said the News24’s headline is disgusting.
The party president Ganief Hendricks said although they don’t support people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, intersex and queer/questioning community – they respect the Constitution.
Hendricks said the publication is Islamophobic.
Read original EWN article here: https://ewn.co.za/2022/10/28/al-jama-ah-slams-news24-for-linking-muslims-to-possible-terrorist-attack-in-jhb/amp
Thapelo Amad from the Al Jama-Ah party said they would be bringing a motion of no confidence against Phalatse.
JOHANNESBURG – Joburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse has assured residents that service delivery in the city will not be affected despite calls from opposition parties to remove her.
Thapelo Amad from the Al Jama-Ah party said they would be bringing a motion of no confidence against Phalatse.
The minority parties have accused the mayor of failing to address the electricity crisis in Soweto, among other things.
Phalatse said the multi-party government would be meeting with the community of Soweto on Saturday to provide feedback and find a long-lasting solution for the area.
Mayoral spokesperson Mabine Seabe said: “It is clear there is a desperate and coordinated attempt to grab [the] power of the city. Mayor Mpho Phalatse can guarantee the residents of the city that we are not distracted.”
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Cape Town – The fact that Africa with its population of 1.3 billion is not a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) has been described by a Turkish intellectual visiting Cape Town as reason enough for the reform of the world body.
Echoing Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s slogan, “the world is bigger than five” which was coined to protest the unrepresentative set-up of the UN Security Council (UNSC), University of Ankara Social Sciences Associate Professor Mürsel Bayram said on Tuesday that the time had come for the reform of the security council.
Bayram was speaking at a panel discussion on the “Reform of the UN Security Council: A New Approach to Rebuilding International Order” organised by the Turkish presidency’s directorate of communications and hosted by the Turkish Consulate General.
He said the UN has been discussing reforming its security council for 30 years, since the idea was mooted by then UN Secretary-General Boutros BoutrosGhali in 1992.
Wits University School of Governance Associate Professor William Gumede said there were serious obstacles to the reform of the UNSC and that the consequences of no reform or consensus had the potential for conflict and even possibly a nuclear war.
He said another alternative would be for developing countries such as those from Africa, Asia and Latin
America coming together to form their own version of the United Nations.
Gumede pointed to the rise of groups such as BRICS and how organisations such as the BRICS bank were already challenging the Bretton Woods system of the IMF.
Inclusive Society Institute chief executive Daryl Swanepoel said the UN still reflected the post-1945 consensus and world order and the time had come to modernise it for the sake of equality and transparency.
The panel discussion was attended by, among others, Turkish ambassador Ayşegül Kandaş, Al Jama-ah MP Ganief Hendricks, anti-arms deal and corruption activist Terry Crawford Browne, Western Cape Legislature deputy speaker Beverley Schäfer and Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas.
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The current situation favours men, who are compensated for travel and accommodation when attending court, while the women are paying from their owns pockets.
The Al Jama-ah party in parliament is fighting for the rights of women to access a travel allowance when they attend maintenance cases in court.
In a Bill proposed by leader Ganief Hendricks and read in parliament yesterday, the party also proposed that parties to a maintenance matter should be able to opt for external mediation or arbitration if they like.
The need for mediation and or arbitration will be determined by a Magistrate’s Court. If it is to pass, it has to be voted in parliament. Should the vote succeed, Al Jama-ah would have concluded the Women’s Month by presenting a gift to the women by helping to boost their rights.
The Maintenance Amendment Bill as proposed is a progressive piece of legislation and one of several proposals in which the small party used parliament as a platform to enact progressive legislation in favour of the vulnerable.
“Al Jama-ah considers it a useful platform to bring about legal changes and for this very reason this route was pursued by Al Jama-ah leadership,” the party said in a statement.
Hendricks said efforts had to be made to cut the cost for the complainant. He said the current situation favoured men, who are compensated for travel and accommodation costs when attending court, while the women paid from their owns pockets and were not entitled to compensation.
Hendricks suggested that if mediation or arbitration is decided, it would be preferable if that happens before the matter was heard so that there was no cost for the woman complainant.
“All efforts to be made before to cut costs and avoid financial burden,” Hendricks said. He hoped the Bill would be passed by parliamentarians as the matter affected all women across religious and cultural divides.
“But it’s difficult to say since those voting usually would happen in accordance with the decision and interpretation of their respective parties,” Hendricks said.
This is the first of three Al Jama-ah legislative proposals as the party used the opportunity to address issues that have been sidestepped by previous government administrations.
“While it is a pity the Private Members Bill only came to life since 2019, Al Jama-ah considers this process a useful platform to bring about legal changes and for this very reason this route was pursued by the Al Jama-ah leadership,” he said.
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Parliament has heard that research has revealed that the economic costs from damage and theft to the infrastructure of Eskom, Transnet, PRASA and the reduced output of the mining industry are estimated at R47 billion annually or R130 million every day.
This is according to Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel. He was closing the Urgent Debate on Matters of National Public Importance held in the Good Hope Chamber. The debate had been proposed by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
The focus of the debate was “the economic impact of theft and vandalism of public infrastructure”. Patel emphasised how theft of metal for scrap was causing serious economic harm.
“The theft of scrap metal, particularly copper cable imposes cost far beyond the actual value of material taken. These costs mostly in the form of disruption to rail transport and electricity, effectively cut production, inhibit economic growth and service delivery. In fact we asked a team of researchers to put together some data on the extent of the damage. R47-billion annually, that’s the estimate that a respected Research Agency Genesis and Analytics provides, based solely on economic costs as a result of damage to Transnet, Eskom, PRASA’s infrastructure and the reduced output of the mining industry. And it excludes the damage that’s caused in many other parts of the economy and to the lives of ordinary South Africans. R47 billion every year, that equals to a R130 million every single day,” says Patel.
United Democratic Movement (UDM) Chief Whip, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa has challenged members of Parliament to educate communities that public infrastructure belongs to them and not government.
He says while criminals are damaging and stealing infrastructure, some communities are also damaging their own public infrastructure. Kwankwa says public representatives should tell some of the communities the truth about their actions.
Al Jama AH Leader, Ganief Hendriks broadened the debate by linking infrastructural harm suffered by communities to the legacy of Apartheid.
“Honourable House Chair, infrastructure harm is the legacy of Apartheid and the creatures of Apartheid represented in the sixth Parliament. An example is the asbestos bulk water supply to villages all over South Africa, including Bushbuckridge, 68 kilometres long, so water is poisoned by asbestos before it reaches the taps,” says Hendriks.
