President Thabo Mbeki might represent all South Africans, but only 2% of the population endorses his views on crime, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Friday.
Writing in his weekly letter, Leon said 98% of South Africans believe the president’s approach and attitude towards crime are wrong.
”The president likes to claim he represents the majority of our people; that is irrefutably correct as far as his broad political mandate is concerned.
”However, it is fundamentally incorrect in respect of his approach, attitude and denial about crime … as he appears to speak on behalf of a paltry minority of 2%.”
In a recent interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, President Mbeki denied crime is out of control in the country.
Leon said a massive 98% of respondents had voted yes to this week’s e.tv poll, which posed the question: ”Is crime out of control in South Africa?”
”So with regard to the devastating spiral of violent crime, my tip for Mr Mbeki is that he frankly admit the urgency of the crisis,” said Leon.
Leon also criticised Mbeki for his failure to take decisive action in instances where government leaders are alleged to be involved in corruption.
When confronted with allegations that some of South Africa’s top government officials are implicated in a British police probe investigating corruption in the country’s arms deal, Mbeki categorically stated that the transaction was not affected by any corruption.
”President Mbeki’s foot-dragging over the arms deal only redoubles public disquiet.
”Moreover, the president has yet to release the Donen Report on South African involvement into the oil-for-food scandal, in spite of receiving it over three months ago and promising action in reply to my question in Parliament,” Leon said.
On the skills-development issue, Leon said under Mbeki’s leadership, the African National Congress-led government has failed to a strike a balance between the need to transform the country and that of addressing the country’s skills shortage.
”While the ANC has put ‘transformation’ — an insistence on racial representivity across our society — at the heart of its agenda, it has also sought to focus on economic growth and addressing our skills capacity.
”The former policy has overwhelmed the latter: in place of a professional cadre of civil servants, well-connected ANC acolytes have been appointed, resulting in a massive capacity problem.
”This has led to the line between party and state being blurred and power being centralised in the Presidency,” he said.
President Mbeki is scheduled to open Parliament with his State of the Nation address next week.
In his address, Mbeki is expected to indicate how the government intends to, among other things, tackle the problem of crime, corruption and skills shortage. — Sapa