Joburg is back in the hands of Geoff Makhubo and ANC professional looters

Today is a sad day for the people of Johannesburg who believed in and supported the DA-led multiparty coaltion government, even during the toughest of times. We had made great progress in building a City all residents could be proud of. Today, that project will be undone.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) put forward the very capable and experienced Councillor Funzela ‘Funzi’ Ngobeni as its candidate for Johannesburg Mayor. We Believe Cllr Ngobeni was the right person to fully put into action the commitments made to residents in 2016. A commitment to stop corruption, accelerate the delivery of services and create job opportunities.

Notably, the ANC again put forward its own candidate, Councillor Geoff Makhubo, who is deeply compromised due to his alleged corrupt involvement in a City of Johannesburg tender, which has allegedly enriched him to the tune of R30-million. While Cllr Makhubo was meant to be delivering services and putting the people first, he looted the City’s coffers. Cllr Makhubo is not the man to build a working city; the ANC is not a party which holds sacred the needs of residents.

Today the City of Johannesburg is in the hands the money-hungry ANC, which will rapidly reverse the progress made over the last three years, as is the dire situation in Nelson Mandela Bay.

In just three years of DA governance, service delivery across the City has been accelerated, cost-saving measures have been put in place to ensure that money goes back into communities, billions of Rands in investment has been attracted, and more JMPD officers than ever before have been recruited.

If we had been granted the opportunity to take the City to 2021, Johannesburg would be a City for all its residents to be proud of.

Although this is a loss and a setback, we will not give up the fight against ANC corruption. 2021 will present the people of Johannesburg and the country an opportunity to vote for DA-led governments that always put the people first.

We will not give up the fight to ensure the people’s money is spent on service delivery.

DA committed to multi-party coalitions, guided by policies and principles

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes the comments made by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) today, in that their party will no longer vote with the DA in any municipality where we would require their votes, and that they will abstain from voting when it comes to it.

It is unfortunate that the EFF has taken this stance at the expense of the millions of South Africans who voted for change in the 2016 municipal elections. The DA is governed by its policies and principles, which ensures that the people of our country are always put first, by ensuring the steadfast delivery of services, access to quality healthcare, jobs, an education and rooting out corruption from government.

Our arrangement with the EFF, specifically in municipalities in which no party had a majority, has worked well. We have engaged with the EFF  and have enjoyed a harmonious relationship with its councillors on a local level. Where we were able to accommodate the reasonable demands of the EFF councillors to deliver to their constituency, we have done so. Simultaneously, we have been able to interdict the wide-spread corruption that characterised the ANC administrations prior to 2016, and have transformed these governments.

We remain convinced that the current arrangement – difficult though it is to manage – is in the best interests of the residents of the municipalities concerned. Our commitment has always been to ensure accelerated service delivery, job creation, ensuring safer communities and the overall improved quality of life of all South Africans. We are unequivocal in this commitment. Our priority will always be to deliver to the people in these municipalities.

Over the past three years, DA-led governments have not only excelled in rooting out corruption, but also in transforming the lives of South Africans. The achievements in the municipalities in which the DA and the EFF cooperate include:

Tshwane

  • In its first year in government in the City of Tshwane, the DA-led administration received an unqualified audit and managed to create a stable financial environment by tightening controls over the supply chain management process, reducing unauthorised expenditure by 63%, while almost doubling the cash and cash equivalents held by the City, from R1.1 billion to R2.1 billion;
  • The DA-led administration banned the purchasing of new luxury vehicles for politicians and officials;
  • Sold the mayoral mansion of former mayor Kgosientso “Sputla” Ramokgopa for his personal benefit and used the R5 million from the sale to build 52 RDP houses for 40 families in Attridgeville;
  • The City has also given 1800 bursaries out to the value of R34 million; and,
  • Our efforts to attract investment have far exceeded our initial goals – TEDA has an investment target of R1.5 billion – the current investment pipeline amounts to R3.84 billion with a potential 1 850 job opportunities.

Johannesburg

When the DA won the City of Johannesburg in 2016, it inherited a corrupt and broken city. To address corruption, the mayor created an enhanced forensic internal investigation unit. The Unit has since achieved the following:

  • The number of cases received by the Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) for the financial year 16/17 amounted to 1920 and, for 17/18 amounted to 3415.  These cases related to fraud and corruption, theft of city assets and maladministration, as well as hijacked properties; and,
  • During the 2017/18 financial year, of the 3415 cases reported, 2455 were investigated resulting in 92 criminal cases being registered, 362 arrests, 15 suspensions and 27 dismissals.

Furthermore, the DA has worked tirelessly to address a number of the knock-on effects of a decaying city, such a criminality and economic decline. Since the DA took over the following has been achieved:

  • 84 properties have been released by Council to the private sector for development through public private partnerships to deliver an estimated 4000 units for student accommodation, small business premises and even more affordable accommodation for some of our poorest residents;
  • Between 80 and 100 buildings will be released this year from the 500 properties that have been identified as ‘bad’ buildings for which expropriation processes have been initiated;
  • The rejuvenation of these buildings can truly change Johannesburg’s skyline. This process has culminated in the awarding of two tenders to develop two of these properties in Hillbrow, with the developers committing a proposed total investment of just over R204 million; and,
  • The associated buildings earmarked for refurbishment are expected to be completed in the next twelve months, availing 384 units for the residents of Johannesburg.

Nelson Mandela Bay

Under a DA-led government, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMB) received a credit rating upgrade from ratings agency Moody’s, which is all thanks to the DA’s ability to run a clean government. In NMB, the DA-led administration has:

  • Uncovered large scale corruption, putting a stop to R615 million worth of irregular and wasteful contracts;
  • In the 2018/19 financial year, before the Coalition of Corruption regained control of the purse strings, the DA-led administration passed the City’s largest ever operating budget, of R10.3 billion – this budget was one of the most pro-poor the City has ever seen; and,
  • In 2018, the Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality was the only city in the country that managed to improve its score on the South African Customer Satisfaction Index, making it the second most trusted city government in South Africa after the City of Cape Town, another DA-led municipality.

Since Cllr Mongameli Bobani became the executive mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, with the help of the ANC, they have attempted to reverse the good governance gains made under the DA and its coalition partners. On the 26th of June it was reported that:

  • Only 63% of the Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG) was spent, leaving a surplus of R330 million; and,
  • Not even half of the Integrated Public Transport System Grant (IPTS) was used (48%), wasting R90 million in the process.

This is in sharp contrast to the DA’s track record in governance in NMB, where more than 90% of the capital budget was spent and a 100% of Urban Settlement Development Grant was spent in the previous financial year.

If the EFF proceeds as planned, it will erode all of the good work coalition governments have done in the past and it will hinder progress in the future. As the opposition, we have a collective responsibility to hold the ANC to account and to prioritise the interests of all South Africans. This move will only embolden the ANC to bring corruption back into the metros to which we have brought change.

The people of DA-led metros voted for change and we have made significant progress in realising that commitment. If the EFF chooses to hand over well-functioning municipalities back to the corrupt ANC, they must account to the people who voted for change and they must explain to voters why they have chosen to be an enemy of clean governance and meaningful progress.

DA stands behind Mayor Mashaba’s commitment to bring change to Alex

The images of deliberate disruption emanating from this evening’s Alexandra community meeting with City of Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba, were premeditated by the ANC.

Mayor Mashaba went to Alexandra to address the concerns of the community but was prevented from doing so when the meeting was hijacked by several rogue elements in the hall – no doubt sponsored by the failing ANC.

What was meant to be a genuine interaction about concrete plans and budgets between the Mayor and the community, was hijacked and the meeting soon disintegrated into chaos and disorder.

The ANC has denied the people of Alex a real opportunity to hear Mayor Mashaba’s plans to speed up service delivery and development.

The ANC has truly deserted what was left of its democratic values and replaced it with violent, anarchic and chaotic tendencies.

Due to the ANC’s interference, it was obvious that the intention was never for Mashaba to engage with the residents. They do not care about the grievances of the people of Alexandra, they only care about the narrow electoral prospects.

Despite the ANC attempts to disrupt the meeting, Mayor Mashaba and the DA-led coalition will continue to put the residents of Alex first. The plans to bring about real change to the people of Alex and Johannesburg will not be derailed by the ANC in a desperate attempt to hang on to their dwindling support.

DA-led governments begin process to procure power directly from independent power producers

Support the DA’s plan to Keep The Lights On!

The following statement was delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at a press briefing outside of the Eskom substation in Randburg, Johannesburg. Maimane was joined by DA Metro Executive Mayors of Cape Town, Dan Plato, Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba and Tshwane, Stevens Mokgalapa, as well as DA Gauteng Premier Candidate, Solly Msimanga.

In the year 2019, after 25 years of democracy, it is an indictment on the ANC national government that the greatest threat to our nation is the collapse of Eskom and the national grid, which threatens to plunge South Africa into darkness. The reality is that due to shameless corruption and mismanagement of Eskom and disdain towards an independent energy sector, South Africa is on the brink of a national disaster.

This crisis is ANC-made and ANC-sustained, and we must not shy away from that fact. For the past two decades, the governing party has overseen the destruction of Eskom. The entity cannot provide constant, uninterrupted power to South Africans, is in hundreds of billions of rands of debt, and on the brink of bankruptcy. Eskom has been hollowed out by ANC crooks and cadres – many of whom Cyril Ramaphosa appointed to Eskom as head of the ANC’s deployment committee.

I want to urge South Africans to not be fooled by this temporary, short-term “breather” from rolling power cuts experienced this week. This is by no means a sign that all is well, and that the structural problems have been solved. The ANC has shown it will stop at nothing to keep the lights on before an election, even if this means the collapse of Eskom – both in terms of its finances and infrastructure. Currently, the ANC national government has chosen to burn billions of rands of diesel in a desperate attempt to keep the lights on as elections are around the corner, while stubbornly refusing to fix the fundamental problems at Eskom and in our energy sector.

Despite the fact that it is ANC corruption and mismanagement that has caused this crisis and its consequential negative impact, DA-led governments have stepped up to the task and put forward innovative plans to mitigate the crisis in the short term, and to stabilise electricity supply in the medium to long term.

Today I am joined by the Mayors of the DA-led Cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Tshwane to unpack these plans going forward. I am also joined by the next Premier of Gauteng, Solly Msimanga, who will speak to his plans on ensuring Gauteng becomes energy independent under a DA-led government.

We have initiated the following interventions in the short, medium and long term to ensure we mitigate damage, keep the lights on, and fix Eskom and our energy sector for good.

Firstly, every DA-run municipality has been tasked to formulate and execute disaster management plans to mitigate the damage being caused to critical infrastructure and service delivery by unreliable and intermittent energy supply. Each of the metro mayors present here today will speak to the plans for their respective cities.

Secondly, every DA mayor in the country to, where appropriate and possible, will write to the Minister of Energy, Jeff Radebe, requesting a determination in terms of Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006 (“the Act”) allowing those municipalities to bypass Eskom and procure electricity directly from Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

Section 34 of the Act empowers the Minister of Energy to allow municipalities to enter into a tender procedure which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective with the private sector to provide for new generation capacity. This direct licencing arrangement with private sector energy providers must be approved in consultation with, and facilitated by, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).

The number of IPPs is multiplying across South Africa and is increasingly becoming a sustainable option for municipalities to supplement their electricity supply procured from Eskom.

In this light, the City of Cape Town will continue full steam ahead with its court action in the North Gauteng High Court, seeking to compel the Minister Radebe to grant a Section 34 determination to the City to procure electricity directly from IPPs. The outcome of this case will set legal precedent for all municipalities in South Africa wanting to provide affordable, reliable and diversified electricity to their residents.

Thirdly, every DA-run municipality in the country will explore the viability and sustainability of adopting a by-law to regulate Small Scale Embedded Generation such as solar PV at businesses and residential homes. This would allow individuals with the capacity to generate their own energy to feed surplus energy into the grid and in turn credit their accounts. This by-law already exists in the City of Cape and 18 other DA-run municipalities and there is no reason it cannot be adopted all across the country. I have tasked all DA mayors to look at the viability within their local circumstances to adopt a similar by-law, where practicable and financially feasible.

And lastly, I have tasked caucus leaders of every council the DA is in opposition to table motions stating that Eskom as a single supply monopoly is failing to provide continued and uninterrupted supply of electricity and to compel the relevant mayors to write to the Minister of Energy seeking a Section 34 determination.

We believe that these interventions will help to stave off a total collapse in the short term. However, if we are to fix our energy sector and provide energy security to all South Africans, we require complete overhaul and reform.

In the short term, the DA would:

  • Reject pressure from unions opposing the introduction of Independent Power Producers (IPPs). IPPs are producing energy as we speak and must be allowed to sell power to the grid immediately;
  • Instruct Eskom to immediately freeze the build programme on the last two outstanding units at Kusile, and instead look to bring on more IPPs to provide power. Eskom’s debt is spiralling due to cost overruns on the two big coal builds, while the units are not running at full capacity due to design and build flaws.
  • Ensure Eskom’s coal procurement policy is immediately changed to allow Eskom to procure coal from any source;
  • Reaffirm Eskom’s engineering and maintenance employees as an “essential service” that cannot embark on strike action;
  • Immediately review all Eskom’s diesel contracts to ensure the cheapest diesel is sourced from professional and reliable sources; and
  • Instruct PetroSA to supply Eskom with diesel at tax-free cost prices to avert a crisis in the short-term.

Over the medium term, the DA would implement the following interventions:

  • Pass the ISMO Bill, which would privatise the generation entities of Eskom, allowing a diverse range of energy to enter the grid, increasing competition and lowering the cost;
  • Commence with a drastic salary restructuring of Eskom’s executive;
  • Audit all middle management and begin the process of cutting ‘dead weight’;
  • Instruct municipalities to start a “name and shame” campaign for non-payers of electricity. In short, to release the names of the main offenders that are non-paying to the municipality website and local papers making sure communities know who is skipping on payment. This would be similar to the City of Cape Town’s water saving “name and shame” campaign.
  • Install major smart meters for municipalities to force municipalities to collect revenue timeously. The top 5 worst municipality offenders at the end of last year were:
    • Maluti A Phofung, Free State – R 2.809 billion
    • Matjhabeng, Free State – R 1.815 billion
    • Emalahleni, Mpumalanga – R 1.667 billion
    • Ngwathe, Free State – R 940 million
    • Emfuleni, Gauteng – R 872 million

There is a plan to rescue South Africa from this crisis, however, we need to act with urgency. This ANC government has sat on its hands for too long. We now need immediate change.

This coming Friday, 29 March, we will embark on a National Day of Action as we take the plight of the nation to the seat of national government at the Union Buildings. We call on South Africans in every community, town and city across the country, to join us in a collective protest against this national crisis.

Join the event here!

South Africa needs this change, and we need it now. And I urge every citizen who loves this country to join this National Day of Action so that we can usher in change and save our nation from the brink of collapse. The time is now – we will not sit back and watch our country implode at the hands of this failing ANC government.

The reality is that come 8 May, South Africans will have the chance to cut the ANC’s power and usher in real change at the ballot box and vote for a party that has a plan to keep the lights on and fix this ANC-created energy crisis.

Support the DA’s plan to Keep The Lights On!

City repairs over 3 000 potholes in the month of February

Rainy season in Johannesburg is beginning to wind up, however the heavy rainfall we’ve experienced has wreaked havoc on our roads. Usually, cracks are formed because of the regular – and notorious traffic in our city – which means that, when the rainy summer months come around, rainwater seeps into the asphalt and the underlying layer and causes the cracks to widen, which causes further damage.

Consequently, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), which is the custodian of the road network in the City of Joburg, typically receives higher numbers of reports of potholes from residents around this time of year. This has been the case again since the turn of the New Year.

The preservation of the existing road infrastructure is very important to the City of Joburg. It allows for improved movement of traffic and pedestrians flow, and of course, reduces the risk of all vehicles being damaged by potholes and other road defects. In the month of February, the JRA repaired a total of 3045 potholes across the City; with Region A being the best in terms of completion rate (92%).

It is our responsibility to maintain public infrastructure. We are well aware of the formidable work that lies ahead of us. We also know we have to carry out the repairs and maintenance of roads at a quicker rate – for this reason, the JRA has been testing the Jetpatcher road rehabilitation solution system.

The Jetpatcher system is not there to replace the current workforce, but to assist the JRA to accelerate the patching of potholes and the current workload, as well as upskill the existing workforce on the use of new technology.

In the moth of February, the system was used to repaired 2 700 potholes i.e. big patches and potholes (of 1 square meter and potholes of less 0.5 square meters) – averaging just under 200 potholes per day. The testing took place in Region C, with Regions E and A to follow to complete the testing.

This is further proof of how this administration has gradually set about using existing and new techniques to help ease the mammoth service delivery backlogs it inherited within the City of Joburg. These are the product of years and years of neglect and they manifest in the daily service delivery issues that plague our communities.

Due to massive infrastructure backlogs, over 3 900kms of our roads had fallen into the classification of “poor” or “very poor” conditions. In addition to that, work continues in undoing the mammoth backlog in storm water drainage, which further exacerbates the state of our roads.

Indeed, most of the city’s roads have gone past their design lifespan, normally set at about 30 years, with factors such as traffic (loading), drainage system, floods etc., also contributing to the state of our deteriorating road network.

The JRA was allocated R1.2 billion to the capital budget. Within this budget was an allocation of R250 million for road rehabilitation and reconstruction. In addition to this, the entity also budgeted R181 million for the rehabilitation of bridges in 2018/19, up from R49 million in 2017/18. During the recent adjustment budget, an additional R135 million was made available for road rehabilitation.

All of these projects will take time to deliver. As Johannesburg is a large area, aside from the daily inspections and maintenance, I urge residents to be our eyes and ears by reporting issues that they notice to the JRA.

The JRA offers multiple channels that residents can use to log a road infrastructure related fault in the City of Joburg:

  • You can log a fault online via the website www.jra.org.za or via the Find&Fix app. Simply snap a picture of an issue on your mobile phone, choose the nature of the issue on the app, and use GPS to send through your location.
  • You can also call our customer contact centre on 0860 562 874, or report the issue on Twitter, Facebook or e-mail hotline@jra.org.za

Forget the slogans – only one party is fighting for real land reform, and that’s the DA

Fellow South Africans,

Reconciliation Day is a day on which we celebrate our unity as a nation. We remember our history, and we reflect on the path we have already travelled towards a more just society.

But we must ask ourselves today: How quickly are we reconciling as a nation, and are we even still moving in the right direction? Because at times it feels like we are drifting further apart from each other.

We’ve already dealt with structural racism through legislation, but we must now deal with our attitudes towards each other. We must find better ways of listening to and hearing each other. True reconciliation is only possible through proper dialogue, and this is crucial if we want to work together to fix our country.

There are many things we can do to build a society that is more fair and equal. There are many ways we can unlock economic opportunities for people and bridge the historic divides that still lie between us.

One such thing is ensuring that young people get a foot on the jobs ladder by offering them internships, apprenticeships and the chance to do a year of national civilian service. Another is fixing our broken education system. And yet another important intervention is sustainable land reform.

I know that most South Africans want these things, and there are many men and women in our country who are committed to building an inclusive and unified society. But not everyone is working towards this goal, and these are the people we must watch out for.

Our political landscape is full of fake revolutionaries who merely pretend to care about poverty and disempowerment. Dishonest politicians who exploit the real frustrations and hardships of people for their own power and wealth.

They create the illusion that they stand on the side of the poor. Some of them will even go as far as wearing the overalls of the working class or the uniforms of domestic workers as part of this illusion, but these are just props and costumes for their act.

Here in South Africa, both the ANC and the EFF fall into this category. There’s a word for such people. We call them populists, and they prey on vulnerable people’s desperation. They make promises that sound too good to be true, because they are too good to be true. They have no intention of ever fulfilling these promises.

They will say whatever they think people want to hear in order to get their votes. They will use language and names that sound progressive, while robbing their own people blind.

They speak of Radical Economic Transformation, while they really mean Radical Wealth Accumulation.

They speak of Black Economic Empowerment, while they really mean ANC Crony Enrichment.

And they speak of Land Reform and Land Restitution, while they really mean state control and ownership of all land, including the land owned by poor South Africans.

Fellow South Africans, we all know that land is a very important and emotive issue in South Africa, and rightly so. For centuries, the majority of our people were denied the right to not only live where they wanted to live, but to own their own land, and to pass this land on to their children. Justice and redress demands that we correct this, and that we do so quickly.

When done right, this is something that will build a stronger, united South Africa. A South Africa where more people have access to the economy and where more people can build their own wealth.

But in the hands of the populists, it simply becomes a tool for dividing people and whipping up anger. When both the EFF and ANC talk about land reform, their only goal is to create a divide – an enemy – and then exploit the issue for votes.

They don’t want South Africans to own their own land. They don’t want you to be able to grow an investment, access capital or pass this on to your children. They want you to live at the mercy of the state – forever a tenant.

There is only one party in South Africa that has been fighting for real, sustainable land reform, and that party is the DA.

Forget about the slogans for a moment and consider the facts. Since 2009 the DA has handed over more than 100,000 title deeds in the Western Cape alone. That’s over a hundred thousand Western Cape families that now own their property.

In the past four years the Western Cape’s DA government has supported 357 land reform projects. The province boasts an agricultural land reform success rate of over 60%, while elsewhere in South Africa only 10% of these projects succeed. That’s what I mean when I say sustainable land reform.

And the DA has done all of this within the framework of the Constitution. It was never necessary to break our Constitution – that was all just part of the ANC and EFF’s populist campaign.

But if you really want to get an idea of what the DA has done for land reform and restitution, then you need to speak to the individuals and communities we have been fighting for. And we have some of those people here with us today.

People like David Rakgase, who has been leasing his Limpopo farm from the government since 1991, and has been battling to become the owner for the past two decades.

Mr Rakgase has exhausted every possible route to become a land-owner, and the ANC has blocked him at every turn. But last year the DA took up his fight, and we have brought his case all the way to the State Attorney. We will not rest until he has the title deed to his farm in his hands.

Or you can ask the people of Gwatyu in the Eastern Cape. We have representatives of their Communal Property Association with us today. Their efforts these past two years to have ownership of 42 000 hectares of Gwatyu farms transferred from the government to the Gwatyu CPA have been blocked time and time again.

Last month Minister Nkoana-Mashabane missed the deadline to hand over the report into the land rights enquiry to the Gwatyu community. If she doesn’t comply and hand over the report, the DA will not hesitate to take legal action to compel her to act.

Again, the issue of the Gwatyu land has nothing to do with the Constitution. It could have, and should have, been resolved years ago within the framework of the Constitution.

That is why I say: Beware of those who use land as a rallying cry and who want to amend our Constitution. They’re not doing this to make any of you property owners. They are doing so to take control of all South Africans’ property, whether black or white, rich or poor.

And while they are doing so, the DA continues to fight for real land reform. On this site here, Mayor Mashaba has decided to take rental property which had fallen into disrepair over years of ANC neglect, and to fix them up and hand them over with full title to those who have occupied the flats for a specific period of time.

While the ANC threatens to take away people’s property rights, the DA continues to make people property owners.

While the ANC blames the Constitution and property rights for its own failures, the DA fights to protect the Constitution and the property rights of all South Africans.

While the ANC and the EFF use land as a cheap political tool, the DA is committed to putting title deeds to both urban and agricultural land in the hands of the people.

Because that’s how you empower people and give them a foot in the door of the economy. That’s how you build an inclusive, prosperous South Africa.

DA stands united against the new coalition of corruption between the EFF, UDM & ANC

The following remarks were delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, following a special sitting of the party’s Federal Executive (FedEx) to consider the status of DA-led coalition governments. Maimane will be joined by Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, DA Gauteng Leader, John Moodey, DA Tshwane Regional Chairperson, Abel Tau, DA Johannesburg Regional Chairperson, Heinrich Volmink, DA Gauteng West Regional Chairperson, Evert Du Plessis and DA Ekurhuleni Regional Chairperson, Selby Thekiso.

Today, the DA’s Federal Executive (FedEx) convened for a special sitting to consider and determine the party’s approach to the systematic and calculated attack on DA-led coalition governments by the newly formed coalition of corruption between the EFF and the ANC.

Following the events over the past few days, and amid such attacks on the will of the voters, as Leader of the DA I felt it important that the FedEx met to decide on a way forward. FedEx discussed and considered the past two years of governance by DA-led coalitions in major cities following the 2016 Local Government Election.

When DA-led coalitions took office in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), we committed to achieving three goals: cutting corruption, growing the economy to create jobs, and speeding up the delivery of basic, quality services to all residents. Together with our partners ACDP, COPE, VF+, IFP and UDM, we took over from ANC administrations that had built networks of patronage and corruption to steal the people’s money for themselves.

Before we could begin on delivering on these commitments and moving in the right direction, the rot of corruption and self-enrichment that existed needed to be cleaned out. From day one, the sheer enormity of the financial mess inherited from previous ANC governments was as clear as daylight. This took months and months of hard work by these governments, and today we are yielding the fruits.

I want to commend these DA-led coalition governments on this outstanding work, which has resulted in freeing up more public money to spend on delivering services to all. Tshwane has moved from a R2 billion deficit to a R704 million surplus, and Nelson Mandela Bay has a R615 million surplus – its best financial position in over a decade.

These governments have also made huge inroads into cutting corruption. Johannesburg has uncovered R18 billion in corruption within the city, Nelson Mandela Bay cancelled corruption contracts to the tune of R650 million and opened tender adjudication processes to the public, and Tshwane has cleared out corrupt officials in the administration and fought against the corrupt R 2 billion PEU contract in court and won.

Tshwane has tripled the amount of direct 9nvestment into the city and has been named the fasting growing city in Africa. Johannesburg has created 103 000 new jobs in the first six months of this year, and Nelson Mandela Bay has tripled the number of EPWP jobs while creating a young graduate programme for young jobseekers.

In terms of service delivery, in Tshwane the luxurious mayoral mansion of the previous ANC government was sold for R5 million rand in order to build houses for poor residents without a home, and 1800 bursaries to the value of R34 million have been awarded to young people.

Johannesburg saw the electrification of 6000 homes for the very first time, while Nelson Mandela Bay eradicated almost 10 000 bucket toilets and ensured 12 000 residents received running water and flush toilets in their homes for the first time.

Real progress is being made, and in just two years DA-led coalition governments are doing what ANC governments could not do in two decades. Millions of South Africans are receiving clean, efficient and delivery-orientated service not ever experienced under the ANC before 2016. Indeed, the biggest electoral threat to the ANC and the EFF has been the successes of DA-led coalition governments.

In light of this, FedEx considered the current status of DA-led coalition governments and came to the following resolutions.

Firstly, we recommit to the formal coalition agreement signed by all coalition partners in August 2016 following the last Local Government Elections. We still believe this document provides the founding values and principles on which governments are build and maintained in the best interests of citizens. This agreement remains open to any political party that shares the values of constitutionalism, non-racialism, the rule of law, a market-based economy, the eradication of corruption, and the speeding up of the delivery of basic services to all. In this light, the DA-led coalition government in Johannesburg will continue the work of the people.

However, in light of the UDM’s joining of the coalition of corruption in NMB, FedEx has resolved to formally approach coalition partners to review the inclusion of the UDM in this formal agreement. It cannot be that the UDM consistently acts in cahoots with corrupt parties, and in contravention of the agreement. I will be meeting with the leaders of the coalition partners ACDP, COPE, VF+ and IFP soon, and the outcome of this will be communicated in due course.

It is important that the coalition partners strengthen our resolve against the coalition of corruption that has been formed by the ANC, EFF and the UDM, and I want to thank Rev. Kenneth Meshoe, Terror Lekota, Dr  Pieter Groenewald and Prince Mangosotho Buthulezi for their steadfast resolve against this new coalition of corruption.

Secondly, FedEx notes Monday’s sitting of the Nelson Mandela Bay council where the new coalition of corruption between the ANC, EFF and UDM attempted to remove Executive Mayor Athol Trollip, and replace him with a corrupt new Mayor and ANC-dominated Mayoral Committee. We echo the view that this decision was invalid and has no effect in law. Athol Trollip remains the mayor of NMB, and the Eastern Cape High Court in Port Elizabeth will consider this matter tomorrow morning. The DA and our partners will come out in numbers to support Mayor Trollip because we believe a victory on this matter will be a victory for the people of NMB.

FedEx fully supports Athol Trollip in this fight and believe that he remains the de jure mayor of NMB. Mayor Trollip’s coalition government has brought change to the lives of NMB residents, and we won’t allow the coalition of corruption to steal back the city through the back door.

Thirdly, FedEx considered tomorrow’s scheduled Motion of No Confidence in Tshwane Mayor, Solly Msimanga. The DA has full faith in Solly Msimanga in his current role as Executive Mayor. He has led the city remarkably well over the past two years and has taken all necessary steps to act against any allegations of maladministration in the city. This support for Solly is unanimous and is echoed by all 5 DA regional chairpersons in Gauteng, who join me here today. Tomorrow the DA and our partners will be out in our numbers outside the Tshwane council in support of Solly Msimanga and the DA-led coalition government in the Capital City.

Therefore, the DA will not be fielding a new candidate for Tshwane Mayor in tomorrow’s council sitting as arrogantly demanded by the EFF. The DA upholds consistency and transparency. The voters elected Solly Msimanga as their mayor, and we will not cave to the demands of the minority. The mayor’s office does not have a revolving door policy determined by the whims of the minority.

If the EFF decides to formalise its coalition of corruption with the ANC tomorrow and supports their Motion of No Confidence in the DA-led coalition government in Tshwane, then they have showed their true colours as being nothing more than the military wing of the ANC – aiding and abetting corruption and looting.

The DA will stand on principle and if that means losing power in any governments, so be it. We refuse to compromise on our values to this new coalition of corruption. If the EFF hand back any DA-led coalition governments to the corrupt ANC, it will be for the people of SA to punish them at polls next year.

History has shown the EFF to make serious judgments of error in the past – from Jacob Zuma, to Public Protector Mkhwebane, to the VBS bank. Tomorrow the EFF is faced with an important decision. History, and the voters, will judge them for their choice.

If the EFF decides to support the removal of the DA-led coalition in Tshwane, they will have shown the people of South Africa that they are happy to remove clean governments and give these cities back to the ANC.

2 years later, DA-led Johannesburg is bringing CHANGE

From day one, the DA-led City of Johannesburg made jobs and growth its primary focus. By creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurs and businesses to grow, it was only a matter of time before the results began to show.

Creating Jobs

Despite the continued rise in the national expanded unemployment rate to 37.2% in the second quarter of 2018, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Stats SA earlier this week shows this government has created an environment that produced 109 000 new jobs since the beginning of the year. This was achieved while reducing the expanded unemployment rate from 32.3% to 30.8%. If this trend continues, the City is well on its way to reaching the goal of 5% growth by 2021.

Quality infrastructure and the stabilisation of services will always be a non-negotiable for business in the continent’s economic capital. The City has met this expectation by not only renewing infrastructure and stabilising services but establishing a responsive, dedicated, accountable and professional civil service that inspires confidence with the people of Johannesburg and delivers world-class services that will continue to make Johannesburg an attractive destination for investment.

Opportunity Centres

The Khoebo Opportunity Centre has seen hundreds of young entrepreneurs walk through its doors, turning ideas into small businesses. The roll out of these Opportunity Centres are beginning to assist residents with crucial skills and support to grow their businesses so that they too can create job opportunities. In addition to Khoebo, the City’s goal is to create 13 more Opportunity Centres through Johannesburg, deepening access to jobs with two in every one of the seven regions throughout the City by 2021.

Fighting Corruption

Crime and corruption have become public enemy number one in the City of Johannesburg, and we are winning the war. More than 3 500 cases of corruption and maladministration involving almost R18 billion has been uncovered by the newly established Group Forensics and Investigation Services (GFIS) and the recruitment of an additional 1 500 Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers has ensured the streets of Johannesburg are much safer. The launch of Operation Buya Mthetho has seen to more than 8 000 arrests by law enforcement officials since the beginning of the year.

Over 20 000 arrests have been made by the JMPD, and the GFIS has a specialised unit that counter-acts building hijacking syndicates and returns properties that have been hijacked to their rightful owners. With the assistance of the JMPD, this unit has already returned 73 buildings to their rightful owners.

Fighting Drug Addiction

A free Community Substance Abuse Treatment Centres has been opened which includes provision for a 24-hour crisis line where the people of Johannesburg can speak with caring professional staff to get the help that they need. By the end of this financial year there will be eight of these Centres reaching areas such as Poortjie, Bophelong and Cosmo City.

In order to open up access to health services, extended operating hours within City clinics have ensured that residents do not have to decide between making it to work and receiving medical attention, and so that students never have to choose between going to school and accessing healthcare.

One of the greatest privileges one can ever be entrusted with is a mandate from the people to serve and it is these DA-led governments’ past two years of service to the residents of these great cities that we should all be celebrating today.

– DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane

City Power to embark on Repair and Maintenance of City streetlights campaign

Today, I joined City Power officials to conduct maintenance and repairs of streetlights in Gallo Manor,
Sandton (Region E).
This forms part of the City’s efforts to address malfunctioning streetlights which have exposed residents
to safety and security concerns due to cable theft, illegal connections and vehicle collisions with
streetlight poles.
As part of our programme of bringing Diphetogo (fundamental change) to the City, in the 2018/19
financial year, the City has set aside R45 million for the installation of new public lighting city-wide,
including in our informal settlements, as well as an additional R20 million for the repairs and
maintenance of existing public lighting within the City.
This is a substantial increase from the R1 million allocated for this purpose in the previous financial year
(2017/18). During the same period, City Power installed 1, 245 streetlights across the City of
Johannesburg at a cost of R7million.
As part of Diphetogo, our residents will experience streetlights being installed and maintained across
the City in a way which makes our streets less desirable to criminals.
We must make Johannesburg shine brighter at night, and assist the work done by the JMPD and other
law enforcement authorities to make our communities safer.
Over the coming weeks, City Power will cross the length of breath of this City, from Midrand to Soweto
and Roodepoort to Alexandra, repairing streetlights that have defects, straightening poles that have
been knocked down in vehicle collisions, replacing covers that have been removed through vandalism,
replacing fittings and installing photo cells.
2
Photo cells play an important role in ensuring that streetlights are switched on during the night and
switched off during the day.
When photo cells are vandalized, the streetlights malfunction, leaving residents in the dark.
In some cases, street lights may stay on during the day when photo cells have been vandalized and
damaged. This puts a strain on the network as it has a negative impact on energy efficiency.
Residents are urged to report theft and vandalism of streetlights, cable theft and vehicle collision with
streetlight poles at 011 490 7911 or 011 490 7900 or 011 490 7504 or 011 490 7553 or at their nearest
police station.

 

DA-led Jozi to boost its Metro Policing by another 180 traffic wardens

On Thursday, 19 July, the Mayoral Committee of the City of Johannesburg passed a resolution to boost the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) with a further 180 traffic wardens.

This is part of “Diphetogo”, the City’s multi-party government’s initiative to improve the lives of our people by allocating a bigger share of funds only to priority projects that touch the lives of residents in a meaningful way.

– Johannesburg Mayor, Herman Mashaba

To this end, the City will be recruiting about 180 traffic wardens from the former Extended Public Works Program employees who were previously trained to perform traffic pointsman duties.

The Department of Public Safety identified the need to capacitate traffic wardens with additional powers in order to allow them to perform at optimum level.

The recruitment process will commence shortly and qualifying beneficiaries in terms of this first Traffic Warden Recruitment Program will be contacted to present themselves for the relevant processes. Once the recruitment program is completed, the City will see 180 traffic wardens servicing the residents of Johannesburg.

You can read the full story here