Good morning,

It is great to be here in Tshwane this morning, the second stop on my Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity Tour.

And it’s great be in a metro about to be taken over by the DA!

The purpose of the tour is engage with the people of our country about their hopes, dreams and wishes for our country ahead of the launch of our Vision for South Africa on 13 June.

Earlier this week I had the privilege of addressing students at the University of Fort Hare about what Freedom and Opportunity means, for freedom without the opportunity to live a life you value is meaningless.

Two decades ago when President Nelson Mandela was inaugurated at the Union Buildings in this very city, he announced to the world that South Africa had achieved our political emancipation. But we have still not achieved the inclusive society he dreamed of under the banner of a rainbow nation.

Our economy is still marked by racial inequality and a growing divide between economic insiders and outsiders, and access to quality services is still not equal.

It is in this context that I would like to focus on the concept of Fairness today, for we cannot accept that after all the progress we have made as a society, a child born in Hammanskraal still does not have the same opportunities as a child born in Waterkloof.

The only way that we will rectify the injustices of the past is through growing our economy to create millions of jobs.

Yet in this very province we have seen the ANC systematically weaken our economy, resulting in thousands of job losses.

The ANC have betrayed the people of Gauteng. They said they would oppose e-tolling at their Congress in October. Instead they have proudly brought us an enforcement strategy on e-tolls.

Paul Mashatile lied to the people. David Makhura lied to the people. If you don’t pay e-tolls the ANC want to make sure you get punished. They want to prevent drivers licences from being renewed. They want to prevent freedom of movement on our roads unless we pay e-tolls.

Under the new dispensation, those who do not pay within 30 days will have their caps doubled and any unpaid toll fees will be added to vehicle registration renewal costs.

SANRAL is depending on key account holders, including small business owners, grocery stores and those in the service industry who are forced to make regular use of the freeway to prop up the failing system.

This impacts directly on the cost of doing business and ultimately increases the prices of goods and services.

It is the poor who suffer the most as a result of this unfair system, as they are already struggling to keep up with increasing fuel prices, inflation and electricity tariff hikes. Eskom want to increase our electricity prices by 25%! This will increase the prices of all basic necessities from food to clothing because nothing can be produced without electricity.

Between e-tolls and load-shedding the ANC are asking the people to support their job-killing manifesto for Gauteng.

We cannot stand for this. In 2016 we must meet them at the polls.

The DA has a vision for South African where a government accountable to the people will listen to the voices of voters and put their needs first.

In our vision for South Africa, freedom will be used as the engine of progress to open up opportunities to all members of our country.

We will eradicate the legacy of the past by building an inclusive society where the circumstances of your birth do not determine the opportunities you can pursue in life.

Children should only be limited in their dreams by their willingness to work hard to achieve their goals.

But this vision will not be achieved as long as our country is governed by corrupt officials who only have their own interests at heart. 

This is a government that pursues a BEE policy that does not empower the poor, but only further enriches those who are already connected.

We do not need 100 black industrialists close to the President, but a million entrepreneurs who can drive job creation on a grass roots level. We must kick-start our economy by empowering individuals with tools to build successful small businesses.

In the Western Cape the DA has brought unemployment down to the lowest level in the country by attracting foreign investment and reducing the red-tape that prevents small businesses from getting off the ground.

In the coming months we will fight to take the success of the Western Cape to strategic metros in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape next year.

In Nelson Mandela Bay we have fought to narrow the gap between the DA and the ANC to just 8% and are confident that victory in this symbolic metro is in sight.

And here, in Tswane, the city that houses the President's office, we have brought the ANC under 50% and will do the same in Johannesburg next year.

There is a groundswell of support growing for the DA across this country as we unite a diverse group of individuals who share a common set of values and a belief in a non-racial, non-sexist South Africa.

Together we will fight to secure the future of our hard-won constitutional democracy so that our children will have the opportunities that so many were denied in the past.

We will fight to remove the ANC from power and replace them with a government that puts voters first.

South Africa has a wealth of potential waiting to be unlocked.

Together the people of this great country can unleash their talents in pursuit of their dreams.

Together we can build a better South Africa.