Democratic Alliance speech by
Solly Msimanga
DA Mayoral Candidate for Tshwane
Today, as we stand in Solomon Mahlangu Square, I am humbled to be your candidate for Tshwane Mayor. We stand in a square named after an icon of the struggle for freedom.
I’m reminded of his famous words “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them. They must continue the fight.”
Like Solomon, many great men and women have fought before us to realise the potential of South Africa. Some paid the ultimate price for believing in a free and fair society that offers everybody opportunities to be the best they could be.
This is why I stand before you here today, to share my belief in the potential of this great City.
Ek glo in die toekoms van hierdie stad. Ek glo in n mooi toekoms waar ons almal saam sal kan leef.
We are the home of the beautiful Jacaranda tree, the Union Buildings, the legendary Loftus, the Voortrekker monument and Freedom Park. We are a city of diversity, and one that can find strength in unity.
From the tallest towers of the CBD, to the bustling streets of Soshanguve, from Phomolong in Mamelodi, to the beautiful panoramic views in “Ver-genoeg” in Atteridgville, from Nkangala to Olievenhoutbosch, CHANGE is coming to Tshwane!
Change that stops corruption.
Change that starts delivery.
Change that creates jobs.
Change that makes Tshwane the inclusive, thriving, prosperous city it can be.
Today we officially start our campaign to bring freedom, fairness and opportunity to the City of Tshwane.
I would like to share with you today why I want to be Mayor of this City, backed by a DA government.
I believe that we owe it to our children to forge the kind of society uTata Madiba dreamed of – a society where government puts the needs of people first and where hard working citizens can change their future.
We have seen spirited student protests this week; we have seen our young people rally against the failures of the ANC national government.
It is evident that the society uTata Madiba dreamed of, is still to be realized.
This is the kind of society the DA is striving to create – in Tshwane and South Africa.
A society where a child born in Hammanskraal or Mamelodi can have the same opportunities as a child born in Waterkloof or Centurion. n Kind wat in Nantus of Eersterus gebore word moet dieselfde geleenthede hê as n kind wat in Waterkloof gebore word.
I am proud to be part of a dynamic movement that is working to build a better future for our children and I am determined to do my part, right here in our great city.
I love this city. It is my hometown and the place of my birth.
I am extremely proud to have been born in Atteridgeville, going on to live in Jeffsville informal settlement.
I started my own family in this city, together with my wife, we are raising our two sons in this city and I want Tshwane to be a great place to live for ALL.
I grew up, like so many Tshwane residents, in an informal settlement.
My mother struggled to find work, we didn’t have much, but I always knew that I had the love and support of my family and I was determined to succeed.
I empathise greatly with the students of today as I too struggled to pay my varsity fees and had to rely on part time jobs to fund my studies and support my family.
This is because I also grew up without a government of opportunity. And I had to struggle every day to get ahead in life.
I remember having to go fetch water from a tap far from our home, or walking to Saulridge High through the Saulsville hostels, wearing shoes that had holes underneath, this simply because our family just could not afford.
And so, I am committed to improving the lives of all people in Tshwane and I am committed to ensuring that we have a city that we can be proud of; a city that actually works.
I also want my children to live in Tshwane and to be proud of this city.
In the last 21 years there have been improvements, and progress has been made. No one can deny that.
But this progress has stalled under the ANC of Jacob Zuma. There is a lack of opportunities, in particular, jobs.
Today our country and our city are going in the wrong direction.
Instead of opportunities for all, we see opportunities for some.
We see transport improvements for the central city, but transport lacking for the rest.
We see tarred roads for some, and broken gravel roads for others.
Delivery is unfairly allocated, and we see too many broken promises.
We must ensure Tshwane moves in the right direction again.
We must restore fairness to this great city.
Where today under the ANC there are only jobs for pals, the DA will open opportunities to everyone!
Where money for service delivery is currently being stolen from the people, we will root out corruption and spend money on the residents of Tshwane.
And we will not be a government that speeds past its citizens in big cars with blue lights,
No, a DA government in Tshwane will be close to the people, accessible and working among the people every day.
Let us make Tshwane great, together.
I know that some residents might ask: Solly at every election we hear promises from political parties and then all these promises are broken.
We live in a city where the street lights don’t work. The streets are full of potholes, we have an ageing and failing electrical supply structures. Water pipes are continuously bursting and take weeks to be fixed.
These are some of the broken promises.
But today as I stand before you, I want to offer you hope for a better future.
I have served at local government, and at provincial government. I have grown up in an informal settlement, and I have struggled to get ahead.
But your struggles are my struggles. I will not make you a single empty promise because I know the hurt of being let down.
I am committed to being the change that Tshwane needs, and change will be possible under the DA.
I studied right here in Tshwane at Saulridge High School, and then worked hard to attended Vista University which has now merged with the University of Pretoria.
I have worked in the private sector and I have learned life-skills both inside and outside of government.
I believe that today we see government going in the wrong direction because there is an elite layer at the top, who are career politicians solely focused on holding onto power.
But change will only come when politicians with the right skills and experience assume leadership.
Instead the government of the ANC in Tshwane keeps a tight control over power today. They control who gets jobs, who gets houses, which areas get development, where the roads are tarred, where the water is drinkable – and they use billions of Rands of our money in corrupt and improper deals.
That is why so many today live in shacks, have no basic services, no access to toilets, no roads, and no street names. People spend days waiting in queues at hospitals and local clinics.
But it does not need to be this way. Change in Tshwane is possible, and I am driven to be the change that Tshwane needs.
Democrats, we need to cut out the cancer of corruption in Tshwane. We need to tell the ANC that enough is enough, and the days of corrupt politicians are over.
Corruption is the very cause of unemployment and service delivery failures. Corruption is eating away at the ability of Tshwane to realise its great potential.
Corruption stops jobs being created, and it keeps good hard-working people out of jobs because the ANC keeps these jobs for friends and family.
So I pledge that when the DA comes into government in Tshwane we will root out corruption!
We believe in employing civil servants who are fit for purpose, not someone’s friend, or relative or member of a particular political party.
We will clean up government, and we will make government work for you.
This change begins at the ballot box in next year’s election. Your vote will make this change possible.
By voting for the DA, change can come to Tshwane and change will come to Tshwane.
Only the DA is capable and committed to bringing a new future to this great Metro. Our values of Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity are the foundation of the change we will bring.
But voting for change is the first and most important step. Wherever you are, and whoever you speak to, spread the message that voting for change by voting for the DA will bring a new hope to Tshwane.
The DA has assembled a strong and competent team to start working from our first day in government.
Our team is ready to deliver on promises and to start the process to make Tshwane a well-governed, safe city of opportunity for all people.
We will start to cut corruption, get service delivery working and create jobs for the people of this Metro.
I will be honest with you that it will not be easy and it will not be quick to turn this City around.
The current ANC run municipality has stalled service delivery and has left a legacy of corruption. We are committed to undoing this damage.
It will take time, but a DA City of Tshwane will work every day to bring the necessary change.
We will work tirelessly for the people, because that is how the DA governs.
We are asking you to give us your vote in this election.
And if you don’t see and feel change after five years of a DA government, then take back your vote!
That is the power you have in a democracy.
But give us the chance to work hard for you, because we are ready to govern in Tshwane.
This is the difference between the DA and the ANC. We expect voters to hold government accountable at the ballot box.
But let me promise you, that you will feel the DA difference after five years.
You will feel it as this city becomes safer.
You will feel it as this city becomes more inclusive.
You will feel it as this city becomes better run.
You will feel it as this city puts the needs of residents first.
You will feel it as this city becomes a home of opportunity for all people.
When the metro police work for you, rather than working against you, safety will be guaranteed.
When we bring back anti-drug units to the metro police, our children will be kept from Nyaope.
When we launch anti-gang units within the metro police, gangsters will be pushed out of our communities and put behind bars.
When we install high-mast lighting in every informal settlement, these areas will become safer.
We will open municipal service centres in every community, so residents will have direct access to services where they live.
When we provide more housing opportunities, in more places, these opportunities will go to the deserving residents who have been on the waiting lists for so many years.
When we grow the local economy, and create an environment that enables job creation, everyone will have access to job opportunities to earn a decent living and support their families.
When we make the tender process more transparent, corruption will be rooted out. We are also committed to awarding more government tenders to local businesses.
This is not a stretch at all.
It is now more possible than ever.
The ANC has less than 50% support in Tshwane now. The ANC is losing support day-after-day.
The ANC National General Council revealed that it is losing members on a daily basis.
Victory is within our reach.
We want to make Tshwane great, together with you the residents.
Never has the ANC’s support been so low in Tshwane, and never has the DA been so close to victory.
We must take advantage of this moment and vote the ANC out in next year’s local elections.
With every resident of Tshwane, together, voting for change, we can make this City great!
Media enquiries:
Solly Msimanga
DA Mayoral Candidate for Tshwane
083 612 0492
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