By The Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) John Steenhuisen says his party has been ready and waiting for this populist political stunt by President Cyril Ramaphosa of signing the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law on the eve of elections and will challenge it.
According to Steenhuisen, they saw this coming months ago, and the DA was proactive in consulting its legal team and gathered reams of correspondence, including with Ramaphosa himself, that they will enter into evidence to show that the process which led to the adoption of the bill by Parliament disregarded public input, and that the bill itself is flagrantly unconstitutional.
“Having the foresight to understand that the ANC is so depraved that it would not hesitate to put peoples’ lives at risk as an election gimmick, has enabled the DA to quietly prepare for this moment in the background. That is why I am now in a position to make the following announcement.
The Democratic Alliance will, upon its signing into law by Ramaphosa, challenge the ANC’s NHI all the way to the Constitutional Court. Our legal team was briefed months ago already and will file our legal challenge against this devastating legislation without delay,” said John Steenhuisen.
The DA Leader says, upon Ramaphosa announcing the signing of the NHI Bill into law on Wednesday, the DA was inundated with calls as the announcement caused widespread panic. People were inquiring on what is going to happen to their medical aids and if their relatives will continue receiving the healthcare they are receiving currently or it will be nullified and have to pay for the expensive NHI.
Steenhuisen says the announcement by Cyril Ramaphosa is a desperate political move as he is aware that his party will become a minority party after the upcoming elections and the ANC needed a populist move to tip things into their favor.
“After months of ignoring the ongoing implosion of ANC support, the party has finally realised that its 50% majority will become a thing of the past at the election on the 29th of May. Out of desperation, it cast around for any populist lever it could pull in the hopes of magically boosting its terminal fortunes.
Unfortunately for the people of South Africa, Ramaphosa chose the NHI as the ANC’s last stand before it finally loses power in less than three weeks. It is difficult to think of a more cynical and destructive move. It is a dishonor to the office of President that Ramaphosa could sink this low.
What he has done by making this announcement, is to play with the lives of the South African people for imaginary political gain. By making this announcement, Ramaphosa has made a fatal miscalculation. His transparent desperation to find something – anything – he can spin as a populist “solution” to the problems created by 30 years of ANC misrule, now confirms for all to see how scared the ANC is of the approaching election,” said Steenhuisen.
