COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota believes expropriation of land without compensation and the quota system in sport are “artificial things” that are a waste of time and resources as they will not reverse the injustices of the past.
Lekota, a vocal critic of ANC policies in recent years – and who recently accused President Cyril Ramaphosa in parliament of selling out the liberation movement during the struggle years – officially launched the party’s manifesto at the Orient Theatre in East London on Saturday.
In an interview following the launch, Lekota said COPE sought to return South Africa to its full constitutional rule.
“These ones [ANC] are saying they are going to take the land and give it to the blacks. The constitution says if you want land so you can plough, you go to the government and they must give you land. How do I restore dignity to you by giving you land?
“If I give you a piece of land, I must know what you are going to do with it.”
Lekota said giving land back to blacks and the quota system were merely “artificial things”.
Speaking against the quota system, Lekota said: “You must ask yourself the question ‘do you want the gold medal or what?’ because if you want the best, what does it matter if [the player] is black or white?
“The American system also used to have something like that but they learnt over time that you will not force a black child to go and do something if they don’t want to do it.”
The government, politicians and sports administrators have for years been saying the quota system was not about picking untalented and undeserving players, but about leveling the playing field and ensuring that talented players, who might not have been picked because of their colour are now given a chance to play at the highest level.
Lekota told a packed Orient Theatre that SA needed a fresh start, free of corrupt and self-serving leaders.
In its manifesto for the May 8 general and provincial elections, COPE promises to: Contain state debt and achieve fiscal sustainability by ensuring that civil service pay is linked to the annual movement of the GDP;
Create a world-class curriculum that is relevant to the fourth industrial revolution;
Discard the minimum pass mark of 30%;
Ensure clinics are opened 24 hours a day;
Accredit traditional health practitioners and monitor them so they can play a bigger role in improving health care in rural areas and strengthen indigenous knowledge systems; and
Carry out land expropriation to the extent that is necessary to achieve land reform provided that all such expropriation will fully pass constitutional muster. Lekota blasted the ANC-led government, saying it was tarnishing the democracy Nelson Mandela had fought for...