Oops! This is how seriously Steenhuisen and team mean their assurances that 'the door is always open to farmers'. A request from the farmer organisation FMDResponse SA to co-operate more closerly with the department – inadvertently copied back to the senders. Steenhuisen must go...
FMD outbreaks existed in this Country for decades now. Yet, it only became a national disaster in the past 2 years.
Farmers used to manage it adequately on their own for 30+ years, since the State Veterinary Services went to shit.
Only John thought it wise to (illegally, as found by Court) use his Ministerial Powers to block farmers from treating their own animals.
No matter how you spin this, this disaster is 100%, entirely, on John.
This is why your orchestrated attack on Pieter Groenewald failed so miserably. It was clear to all of us who stand completely outside of party politics to see the difference between him and John.
Pieter inherited a disfunctional Department and is trying his best to fix what he can, and he's achieved some successes in it. John inherited a disfunctional Department, then went on a power trip and made it infinitely worse.
Only those inside the DA can't grasp this, very simple, concept. The rest of us who follow what is going on around us are not blinded by loyalty for any party.
@chrisw_co_za Labeling anyone in disagreement with you as "far-right" goes to show that your politics really is just as divisive.
You've used both race and ideological positioning here to make a statement that could have simply been done on merit.
Same politics.
Yes, Paul, we know the DA has no influence over anything.
They're just there...
You know...
In government....
I guess if changing policy direction was something the DA hoped to achieve, government was a terrible place to do that, huh?
I have started a religion in the UK called Gunism.
A core belief of ours is that we should carry firearms and are therefore religiously exempt from any law prohibiting us
Who wants to join?
𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒: 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐀, 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐀 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐊.
Asked what changed, Liam said he was broadly supportive of the Constitution until a senior DA member encouraged him to read it for the first time.
"𝑰𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅," he explained.
Liam added that the decision was also financial, but not for the reasons people suspect. After reading Warren Ingram's 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝑻𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏, in which he argues that it is wise in the current economic climate to own multiple properties, Liam decided it also made sense to have multiple political homes for the sake of diversification.
When asked whether he would allow Liam back into the DA should he leave MK, Geordin Hill-Lewis responded:
"𝑶𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕, 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔."
South Africans are now placing bets on Liam's next move, with bookmakers currently offering 3-to-1 odds on him opening a Spur franchise, 5-to-1 odds on him becoming Head Boy of Bishops, and 8-to-1 odds on him pulling a hat out of a rabbit.
Liam Jacobs is expected to announce his new book, 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒚 𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑴𝒆, next month.
Observing an interesting narrative dynamic playing out around South Africa. The same crowd claiming no minorities are being persecuted is now under international fire for xenophobic attacks on other minorities, too...
Pretty tough to take a defensive position when a refugee program is underway, whilst other African countries are also evacuating their own people while issuing travel alerts.
Doesn't look good.
This sounds like a plan @GvanOnselen.
We can discuss my FLC hearing and how the Fedex decided to overrule a 3-month investigation in a one-day sitting.
We can talk about Roman Cabanac, Dion George, Andrew Whitfield and Emma Powell and how Fedex threw them under the bus.
We can talk about John Steenhuisen's performance as a Minister, as well as all other ministers of the DA and their achievements.
Lastly we can talk about the DA's election promises pre-2024 election versus post-2024 election, with a special focus on Bela, EWC, NHI etc.
Please let me know when you would like to come on my show, and I will gladly arrange it.
@geordinhl@QuinK13@Our_DA Maybe the DA should first help Cyrils's white minister to stop destroying farming then you can have an opinion on Groenewald.
@jsteenhuisen came to court trying to silence accusations of dishonesty. When the case was argued, he suddenly dropped it.
Today the Court dismantled the entire fiction.
The Court found government could not show any lawful prohibition on private vaccination. It found the Section 10 scheme was no substantive defence. It found government engineered delays while FMD spread across the country.
This from the same Minister who:
-fearmongered about “bioterrorism” with dead vaccine
- bragged about 2 million vaccinations over a drawn-out period while outbreaks exploded
-lied on national television about substantively answering our legal demand
South African farmers are living with the consequences of an arrogant minister who spoke with authority long before he understood the law, the science or the crisis. It is time to for accountability from John and his enablers.
The desire to actually do something. They don't sit on their arses, like the locals, and wait for the government to save them, rather they actually seize oppertunities. The rare skill: actually working to better themselves. Yes, even the Pakistanis.
@matola_han12@LCabonena Those leaders meant nothing. It's international pressure that made any difference. Without the international pressure these so called leaders with their dreams of civil war would have caused apartheid to last forever.
@AtholT@MorningShot1@ScholtzSusan Why should South Africans yet another race based policy? While yours is arguably better than the current mess, it is still rooted in race. We should strive for non racialism not different flavors of race laws.
I saw this on FB and it made me very sad. Is their absolutely NOTHING that this criminal government can do properly.
Written by James Deacon.
I am about to write what has to be one of the most difficult and painful posts for me to write on Facebook.
On Friday I was given news which unfortunately I cannot disclose yet that has forced me to turn my back on something I truly love with all my heart: Kirstenbosch Garden.
I have been involved there for 19 years due to my love and passion for the garden. However Kirstenbosch is no longer a place that brings me joy and happiness but rather pain and sadness.
When I walk through nursery now I see neglect, decay and death. The amazing plant collections that have taken decades and more to establish sit neglected slowly dying.
The Protea collection is less than a third of what it was and only a fraction of the Ericas remain. One plant has gone from extinct in the wild to completely extinct purely due to lack effort to keep it going. Places once full of plants sit empty and in some cases full of weeds because the production of plants is so diminished.
Great plantsmen and women like Ernst van Jaarsveld, Monique McQuillan , Louise Nurrish , Cherise Viljoen , Anthony Hitchcock who I admired and looked up to all left way before they should have because working there had become so unpleasant and because things like procurement made it impossible for them to do their jobs.
One told me when they tried to order pots the response they got from the management of SANBI the SOE that runs many of the country's botanical gardens was what were they cooking. Another ordered pots and three years later they yet to arrive.
Poor financial management has resulted in the organisation having to use funds donated for educational purpose to pay staff salaries.
Kirstenbosch no longer has a Protea or an Erica expert and hasn't had either for years.
Staff morale is at an all time low and respect for the leadership of the garden has broken down.
The garden cannot produce metal labels to tell visitor what the names of the plants are.
I say all these things not out of animosity to anyone or with the desire to see people in trouble. I say these things because I love the garden and what I am seeing is breaking my heart. I am also saying these things because after all the friends, experiences, knowledge and memories the garden has given me I feel I have a duty to speak out for the garden in difficult times such as these.
I don't know what will happen to me for saying all this. Maybe I will be banned from the garden or get into trouble. However I refuse to stay silent and standby while the things and people that I care about suffer. I also feel that we the current custodians of the garden have a duty to preserve and protect the work of those custodians of the past for the custodians of the future.
We have two choices to be remembered as those who fought for Kirstenbosch during its most difficult and challenging times or as those who sat idly by and allowed it break down and be ruined.
I don't know if anyone will read this or if it will achieve anything but I will not keep silent while the place I love suffers and will continue to speak out against what is happening.
Youtuber @Bluedrake42 has evidence that Tencent not only pays youtubers to shill games, but sweetens the pot to "not mention tencent directly" and hide that it's a paid sponsorship
This should 100% be the next Stop Killing Games movement, but youtubers won't bring it attention