Note to editors: The following is a press statement distributed at a media briefing hosted in Parliament today by DA Parliamentary Leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, DA Shadow Minister of Labour, Sej Motau MP, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources, James Lorimer MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Labour, Andricus van der Westhuizen MP and DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Hendrik Schmidt MP following the conclusion yesterday of Parliament's Labour Committee's deliberations on the Labour Relations Amendment Bill.

Today, the day before the centenary on the Native Land Act of 1913, members of the ANC in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) inexplicably rejected a DA motion which sought to acknowledge the deprivation and suffering caused by the 1913 Land Act, and which called for these wrongs to be redressed.

Note to Editors: This is an extract based on a speech delivered by DA Spokesperson on Appropriations, Marius Swart MP, during today’s debate on the Appropriation Bill in Parliament.

The DA welcomes the decision by the ANC in Parliament not to rush through an amendment to the Broadcasting Act 4 of 1999. The amendment aimed to extend the lifespan of the current interim South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board, which expires in September 2013.

The DA is pleased to announce that our Private Member's Bill proposing an amendment to section 120 of the Children’s Act of 2005 has received support from all members of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, in Parliament.

The DA notes comments made by the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa and President Jacob Zuma during the weekend on the impact of drugs on the youth in South Africa.  

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoane-Mashabane’s handling of reports that Britain’s Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) targeted the South African delegation to the 2009 G20 Summit meeting in London was a “half-job”. 

At least 26 towns in the Free State currently have no water at all in certain areas, water supply disruptions, or extremely unhygienic water coming from their taps, a survey by DA public representatives has found.

The DA stands in solidarity with the many concerned South Africans, who are marching in Cape Town and Pretoria, to demand that the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga publish Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure as per the South African Schools Act 

Note to editors: This is an extract of the speech that was delivered by the DA Parliamentary Leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, during the DA’s commemoration of the Alexandra Riots that took place on June 17, 1976.