By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The second day of the party’s policy conference concluded following policy debates on a wide range of issues of national importance. These included a policy on law and order, economic development and broad-based economic empowerment.
A total of 614 delegates from all nine provinces, each of the 52 districts and eight metros met at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg, Johannesburg.
John Moodley, the party’s senate member, called for stringent measures to curb lawlessness, saying that where humans exist side by side, there had always been an accepted code or rules that governed their co-existence.
“Just like we cannot tolerate South Africans who break our laws, we must equally not tolerate people from other countries who break our laws,” Moodley said.
On the issue of crime, Moodley said no society could thrive in a lawless environment. The party would ensure that the country’s laws were upheld at all times, with no room for corrupt law enforcement officials.
“Sadly, government institutions responsible for maintaining law and law have been ravaged by corruption and hollowed out of the capacity to address criminality. South Africa now rates among the very top countries when it comes to crime. South Africa is the World’s Murder Capital. Today, South Africa is scorned as another failed state,” Moodley said.
He called for harsher treatment of criminals who had contributed to making the country one of the most violent and lawless in the world.
“It is time to take a harsher stance on criminals after they have been prosecuted as well. Our communities are under siege from hardened criminals and syndicates who have no regard for human life or dignity, yet our penal laws favour these very criminals and do little to deter their actions.”
“This is why ActionSA advocates for harsher penalties for violent crime, murder, rape, human trafficking and armed robbery.”
Meanwhile in his opening remarks at ActionSA’s first policy conference, party president Herman Mashaba said the party would take the middle ground when it came to its stance on immigration laws.
“I want to assure South Africans that ActionSA will present a strong proposal that occupies the rational, middle ground on this important issue. ActionSA reaffirms our belief that South Africa was built on the back of migrants. We want the people of the world to come to South Africa, but they must do so legally and obey our laws once here. ActionSA will not place the blame at the door of foreigners,” he said.
Mashaba explained that there was a strong push by party “extremists” who wanted stricter immigration laws versus those who were completely opposed to this suggestion.
“On the one side, there are those who want to ignore our borders or call anyone xenophobic for raising the issue of the failed implementation of our immigration regulations and our porous borders. On the other side, there are those who are wilfully blind to the benefits that regulated immigration can offer our country, and act like quasi-law enforcement officials by unlawfully raiding businesses and detain[ing] people,” he said.
Mashaba has previously come under scrutiny for his stance on illegal foreigners, particularly in relation to the occupation of abandoned buildings in Johannesburg.
During his tenure as City of Johannesburg mayor, between 2016 and 2019, he was adamant that foreign nationals who were in Johannesburg without documentation were linked to criminal activity.
The party’s draft policy states that it is in favour of relaxing visa requirements to allow qualified migrants to enter the country. This includes expanding the list of countries whose citizens can visit South Africa without visas and implementing e-visas and visa-on-arrival programmes.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of ActionSA.