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The temperature in the country is rising and the grass is incredibly dry and waiting for a spark, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis warned ahead of his address to the nation on Wednesday night on planned protests against illegal immigrants.Addressing a Cape Town Press Club function, the DA leader and Cape Town mayor called for calm and urged people to reject vigilantism and violence ahead of a June 30 deadline set by protest groups for illegal immigrants to leave the country.Thousands of foreigners have already left South Africa or are planning to do so after often-violent expulsions from their homes.“All of us can feel the temperature rising across the country,” Hill-Lewis said. ”It is incumbent upon everyone who claims to want to lead South Africa to call for very cool heads, for absolutely no violence and vigilantism or “mobbism” of any sort whatsoever; and to make absolutely certain that we are as prepared as we possibly can be. “Let me tell you that Cape Town is extremely, extremely well prepared for next week. We will not allow any illegality in our city at all. “We are not a hateful and a violent country and this is an opportunity for us to show the best of who we are as South Africans. We must actively turn away from the temptation and from those who keep trying to incite us to show the worst of what we are as South Africans,” Hill-Lewis said.On the DA’s chances in the November local government elections, in the face of competition from the Patriotic Alliance in Cape Town, Hill Lewis said the DA had a proper fight on its hands. He was not surprised by the competition and said the DA did not take anything for granted after its Cape Town win of about 58% of the vote in the past election. The party would have to fight for every single vote, he said, and urged those who had moved to Cape Town to ensure they were properly registered.Hill-Lewis justified his proposed demotion of predecessor John Steenhuisen from agriculture minister to deputy minister of trade, industry and competition, saying it was an indescribably difficult decision to make, but one which was necessary if the DA was to win over new voters and build the party. To do this the party had to win the confidence of these voters and demonstrate unashamedly that it would act differently from that which it wants to replace.The proposed demotion is part of a set of cabinet reshuffle proposals that Hill-Lewis has submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa.His proposal to demote Steenhuisen caused an uproar in DA ranks, especially among Steenhuisen supporters who considered the move to be a stab in the back for someone whom Hill-Lewis himself had described as a close friend. There has also been reported dissatisfaction in the DA over the fact that Hill-Lewis failed to consult senior party leaders about his decision and that he apparently made a deal with Steenhuisen when taking over the leadership of the DA that he would be retained as agriculture minister.Hill-Lewis previously justified the move, saying he was guided by a “higher loyalty” to the public, voters and the opportunity to build an effective government, rather than to personal friendships. He said it was his prerogative as leader to make such decisions without engaging in wide-ranging consultations.The DA leader has asked Ramaphosa to appoint environmental affairs, forestry and fisheries minister Willie Aucamp, himself a farmer, as minister of agriculture. The move is seen as the result of widespread dissatisfaction among farmers, a key DA constituency, over Steenhuisen’s handling of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis.Business Day
