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Ekurhuleni healthcare on its deathbed

Under-staffed clinics, medical supply shortages and daily quotes are robbing residents of Ekurhuleni of quality healthcare.

This week I have been visiting clinics around the Metro to understand the plight of both healthcare workers and residents.

In almost all of the clinics I have visited, medical health staff have indicated that despite their best efforts to provide quality healthcare, patient to staff quotas have reduced the amount of time they can spend attending to a patient.

However, despite this, residents queue as early as 05:30am – with most waiting up to four hours to receive medical attention after entering the queue.

In the less affluent areas of the Metro, medical staff explained to me that a lack of ambulances hinder their ability to deal with life threatening emergencies to transport patients to hospital.

Lifesaving drugs and infant vaccines are either out of stock or in extremely short supply.

Given his role as Deputy Minister and ANC Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina should make sure that the medical supply shortage is adhered to before the end of the week – if not, it shows that he is just a talking head with no real influence.

Under the DA in Ekurhuleni this situation would not be allowed to happen.

More money from the budget will be allocated to improve the quality of healthcare for all the Metro’s residents.

Clinics will be adequately staffed, with professional healthcare workers who can spend more time attending to the needs of patients.

We will introduce an electronic stock management system to ensure no medication runs out. We will also increase our ambulance fleet.

Where we govern, no one is denied dignified, quality healthcare.

This will become a reality in the City Of Ekurhuleni under a DA government.

 

Ghaleb Cachalia

DA Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni

 

Media enquiries:

Warren Gwilt

073 601 6144

 

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Mashaba: A Healthy City is a Working City

Note to editors: The following is an extract from a speech delivered by the Democratic Alliance’s Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate, Herman Mashaba, during and oversight visit to Joubert Park Clinic, Hillborw. Mashaba was joined by DA Shadow Minister of Health, Dr Wilmot James MP, DA Johannesburg Regional Leader, Khume Ramulifho MPL, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Heinrich Volmink MP, DA Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom MPL, and the DA’s Shadow MMC for Health and Social Development in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Ingrid Reinten.

 

We have just seen another example of the real state of healthcare being provided by the City of Johannesburg. The Joubert Park Clinic in Hillbrow is under resourced and chronically understaffed.

 

There are two professional nurses seeing 80 to 100 patients each per day. These nurses are overworked and it is little wonder that this sector is plagued by widespread vacancies. There can be no quality treatment provided to individual patients under such circumstances.

 

This clinic, like many other around the city, has too little space and this results in the clinic being filled to the brim with patients. This allows for disease to easily spread.

 

Most alarming is that medical waste storage is highly irregular, with no bio-hazard warning signs and medical waste being mixed up with the storage of other stock.

 

Furthermore, the clinic has run out of ARV’s placing the health and lives of its HIV patients at risk.

 

According to the Johannesburg’s Health and Social Development business plan 2016/17, the City is unable to recruit and retain the required skilled workforce which has resulted in a shortage of critical staff and an inability to cope with increased service demands.

 

The ANC appears completely incapable of dealing with this crisis and has provided no tangible solutions.

 

Under the current ANC leadership the City stands to continue losing skilled human capital and reduced funding/re-allocation of public sector funding as well.

 

A recent study by the University of Witwatersrand indicated how nurses are suffering from “burnout and resented the increasing burden placed on them with regard to primary care in Johannesburg.”

 

Just last week I visited the Princess Clinic, where over a period of 8 months the clinic has gone from seeing 1000 patients per month to an estimated 2300 per month on average.

 

I strongly believe that clinics are well placed to play a crucial role in the delivery of healthcare at the point of need. They have a vital role to play in contributing positively to a healthy workforce, which drives local economic activity.

 

The DA has a vision for improving healthcare in the City of Joburg, because a healthy city is a working city.

 

When elected as Mayor I will do six things to bolster clinical healthcare in Johannesburg:

 

  1. I will ensure that we have 24 hour appropriately stocked and staffed clinics. The Joubert Park Clinic is only open Monday to Friday, from 8:30pm to 4pm. This is wholly inappropriate for catering to the large Hillbrow population.

 

  1. All clinics that have not been refurbished will be upgraded into modern, well equipped facilities by the end of my first term. This will include the provision of a generator at every clinic due to the frequent City Power outages.

 

  1. I will ensure the continuous development of professional nurses through my plan to identify city-owned properties that entrepreneurs can adapt into top-performing schools and colleges of excellence, such as a primary health care nurse training facility. In addition, a DA-run City will provide bursaries for nurses undergoing the one year training programme and internships at City-run clinics so as to provide them with some income over the year. While recipients of these bursaries will not have to pay the money back to the City, they will be committed to working at City-run clinics once training is completed. It would therefore be a win-win situation, empowering nurses with the opportunity to flourish and ensuring our City has a healthy skilled workforce.

 

  1. I will improve nursing retention rates to ensure that clinics never run short of medical personnel and immediately improve their working conditions. Improving work conditions and incentivising hard work will improve the retention rate of our nurses who have been taken for granted by the City. There is currently no incentive-based programme for nurses and this explains partly why this City is running short of nurses. Under a DA government, nurses will be treated with the respect that their extraordinary work merits.

 

  1. I will transform clinics from being mere healthcare facilities to being multi-functional centres where food gardens, health workshops and local drug action community meetings can be hosted.

 

  1. Finally, in order to ensure a quality healthcare service, I will put healthcare back into the hands of professionals and out of the often harmful influence of politicians.  Political interference leads to unfunded mandates and the poor allocation of resources.

 

Academic research has shown that there is an enormous payoff from investing in health. The research showed that reducing a country’s mortality rate has accounted for about 11% of recent economic growth in low-income and middle-income countries.

 

This highlights the importance of implementing my 6 point plan.

 

As mayor, I will also work closely with the NGO sector and universities, to ensure we systematically record health data of communities and ensure greater access to this information. This will allow NGO’s, civil society and the private sector to play a greater role in partnering with the City and various needy communities.

 

What the ANC run government is failing to realise, is healthy people and a healthy environment go hand in hand.

 

The DA recognises that improving health requires improving peoples’ living environment. As mayor, my administration will focus the necessary resources into improving surrounding poorer areas, something the ANC administration has failed to do.

 

Stats SA’s recently released Non-Financial Municipalities Census underlines the damning plight of Joburg’s provision of support to indigent households. The City only provides 7.36% with water, 9.66% with sewerage and sanitation, and 23.62% with solid waste management.

 

These figures paint a clear picture of the extent of Tau’s administration’s failure to care for the poorest in this city.

 

On 3 August vote for a healthy city.

 

Vote for a working city.

 

Vote for change that will move the City of Johannesburg forward again.

 

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Ekurhuleni clinics go without critical infant vaccine

Clinics in Tembisa, Nigel and Bonaero Park have run out of the critical infant vaccine, Hexaxim.

This vaccine, administered at 6 weeks, boosts the body’s own antibodies to protect from Hepatitis B, Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis – often called whooping cough.

This was revealed to me when I visited the Bonaero Park clinic as part of my oversight as a Councillor and the DA’s Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni.

Mothers bring their infant children to the clinic from as early as 06:00am to receive this vaccination that is currently out of stock.

A DA-run Ekurhuleni would ensure that all clinics are adequately stocked for all critical vaccines by installing electronic stock management systems that would automate the re-ordering process. No new-born should go without any critical vaccinations due to a lack of stock at government run clinics.

The DA calls on Ekurhuleni Mayor Mondli Gungubele, ANC Mayoral Candidate Mzwandile Masina and the ANC to take their heads out of the sand and address this critical shortage immediately.

I will be undertaking unannounced visits to clinics in every community in Ekurhuleni to highlight the sorry state of primary healthcare in this city over the next two weeks.

Ghaleb Cachalia

DA Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni

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ANC dodging accountability over Tshwane violence

With the worst of violence behind us that broke out over President Zuma’s imposed mayoral candidate, Thoko Didiza, an important question remains: when will the ANC take responsibility for the damage, destruction and loss of life?

To date no senior ANC officials have been arrested for their role in inciting the chaos in the Capital, despite assurances by State Security Minister, David Mahlobo, that arrests were imminent.

And the national ANC leadership, including President Zuma, have still not accepted responsibility for the violence that led to at least 5 deaths on behalf of the party that started it.

If the ANC and its alliance partners are serious about the devastating impact of the violence, they will immediately suspend all members suspected of stoking the fires the burned the Capital and lay criminal charges against all those found to be complicit.

On Sunday the SACP took the first step when it suspended five of its members on over their alleged involvement in the protests. They must now follow through and hand over the names to law enforcement authorities.

Political violence must be met with the harshest of sanctions and cannot simply be dismissed as an internal disciplinary issue.

But let me be clear: while those responsible must face the full force of the law, their prosecution does not detract from ANC’s fundamental culpability.

The violence experienced in Tshwane was undeniably of the ANC’s making, with even its alliance partners slamming them for causing the anarchy. The failure of President Zuma and the ANC to take responsibility is cowardly and the sign of a party that does not care about the people of Tshwane.

On August 3 we can bring change to Tshwane by replacing the ANC with a caring, honest and accountable DA government.
Solly Msimanga

DA Mayoral Candidate for Tshwane

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Masina: Debate live and not hide behind Luthuli House

 

I personally challenge ANC Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, to a live television interview – where he can prove his mettle first hand, instead of being drip-fed answers by Luthuli House.

On Sunday night, Masina was supposed to appear live on Power FM to debate me as the ANC’s Mayoral Candidate in Ekurhuleni. Instead, he cancelled and took the interview over the phone.

Whilst I was prepared for a live debate – to furnish listeners with what the future of Ekurhuleni will look like under the DA, Masina had to be scripted over the phone by Luthui House staff, in a poor attempt to refute me.

As is typical of Masina’s character, when he could not challenge the facts presented to him, he unleashed a personal tirade against me.

Masina is known for using profanities against fellow Members of Parliament. He has been quoted as referring to former Deputy Health Minister, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, as a “Hoe”.

It is quite possible that the ANC are afraid to allow Masina to speak for himself, because they know his short temper and bad mouth will cost them votes.

If the ANC are confident in Masina as a candidate, they will allow him to debate me live, if not – it further reiterates that he is a Zuma deployee with little concern for the residents of Ekurhuleni.

 

Ghaleb Cachalia

DA Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni

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Sick people in Tshwane left in the cold

Note to editors: The following remarks were made by DA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate, Solly Msimanga, at an oversight visit to Dube Clinic in Winterveldt today. Msimanga was joined by the Western Cape Minister of Health, Professor Nomafrench Mbombo MPL, and constituency head, Marius Redelinghuys MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Police.

Today I stand alongside the residents of Winterveldt, who are forced to wait in long lines to receive basic health care services from the Dube Clinic. I have heard your stories about dysfunctional clinics in Tshwane, and heard your calls for change.

Section 27 of the Constitution guarantees the right to access to health care services. But under the ANC in the City of Tshwane, this right is not being given life.

Under the ANC government in Tshwane, clinics have fallen into disrepair and are under-stocked, under-staffed and under-equipped. Residents are forced to travel long distances and queue for hours on end to receive basic health care.

The most recent General Household Survey shows that almost half a million people in Tshwane have to travel between 30 minutes and 89 minutes to reach the nearest health facility.

While according to the most recent Stock Outs National Survey, almost 40% of health care facilities in Tshwane do not have the stock they need to ensure the people have the medication they need.

Some of these facilities experience stock outs of vital medication such as ARVs and TB medication for more than a month. This is a disgrace.

For too long the people of Tshwane have suffered at the hands of an uncaring ANC government that has allowed corruption to thrive, service delivery to grind to a halt and unemployment to increase. The ANC government have neglected the vulnerable in our society, including those people who rely on clinics for basic health care services.

For too many residents in our Capital City life is a daily struggle. We cannot accept this.

Yesterday we launched the DA’s Manifesto for Tshwane, our plan to bring change to the Capital that will move it forward again.

As part of our commitment to providing better services, we will ensure that the residents of this City have access to world-class health care services.

The DA in Tshwane is committed to increasing the number of mobile clinics so that people who usually have to travel far while sick to get to clinics no longer have to.

And we will extend the service hours of health facilities to make sure that all people who need care, receive it.

Health care is a basic right; we must ensure that residents receive the treatment they deserve.

On August 3 you have an opportunity to vote out the ANC and elect a DA government that will bring change to Tshwane.

Victory for the DA in Tshwane is in reach, but requires the support of every voter who wants to bring change to this City.

We can make Tshwane great again and we can do it together by voting for the change that the Capital needs.

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Emfuleni corruption: DA lays criminal charges against municipal officials and contractors

Emfuleni Local Municipality

Emfuleni Local Municipality has been plagued with chronic corruption and maladministration.

Last week I submitted evidence of corruption amounting to R400 million to the Office of the Public Protector.

Today, I stand in defence of the rule of law by laying charges against municipal officials and contractors/service providers whom have allegedly stolen money from the people of Emfuleni.

These individuals cannot be allowed to freely roam the streets of this municipality, province and even country, knowing full well that they committed fraud and left many residents of Emfuleni hungry because of their actions.

Nguna and You-Streets in Emfuleni, which were supposed to have been completed in June 2015, remain untarred and without gravel – despite the Municipality already paying out R14 million to contractors to upgrade these roads.

R18 million was set aside by the Emfuleni Municipality in 2013, but when conducting an oversight visit, the DA found the road to be in a state of ill-repair, with no signs of work taking place.

(Click here to view images of Nguna and You-street).

Tarman Limited, No Limit Development and Engco Consultancy

According to a written reply to a DA question, Cooperative Governance MEC, Paul Mashatile, revealed that Majantsipe Consulting Engineers and Gorohang Plant Hire were paid out just over R1.9million and R12million respectively.

No action has been taken against either contractor, and the municipality instead opted for a forensic investigation.

Of the municipal officials responsible for this project, two resigned and one was redeployed to another department.

(Click here to view the reply).

The Extension 5 community in Emfuleni is left with a broken pipeline and a few gravel rocks, despite a hefty payment of R14 million for an abandoned storm water upgrading project.

The lack of tarred roads and proper storm water infrastructure poses a significant public health and transport risk to this community.

This is the second project whereby service providers have been paid for shoddy, to no work done, on projects commissioned by the Local Council.

The service providers, Tarman Limited, No Limit Development and Engco Consultancy were paid out, R4.9million, R7.1million and R1.8 million respectively.

According to the MEC, the three service providers’ contracts were terminated at different stages in the project.

(Click here to view the reply)

Small businesses out in the cold

The third project in Zone 10, is the Sebokeng Storm Water channel, in which over R23 million was spent, yet there is no storm water channel in sight.

Here we find that No Limit Development is once again implicated. Bigen Africa was the consulting firm on this project and received just over R2.5 million.

(Click here to view the reply)

The municipal officials who have resigned, some transferred to other departments within the council and others no action was taken against are listed below:

  •         Sydney Ntlatleng;
  •         Sefuthi Moroke;
  •         Musa Ngoveni;
  •         Sydney Chauke; and
  •         Conrad Netshivhale.

The actions of these individuals have left small businesses out in the cold, by extending contracts to friends. The level of corruption in the ANC-run Municipality has reached crisis level.

The DA can bring real, meaningful change to the lives of residents in Emfuleni. We can deliver better services, cut corruption and create jobs for all.

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Parks Tau using government resources to campaign for LGE 2016

The DA can today reveal that the City of Johannesburg, under Mayor Parks Tau, has spent an aggregate amount of R13.8 million on advertising itself in newspapers between the months of April and May this year alone.

This advertising, not linked to any matters of public importance, and often bearing the face and name of the ANC Mayor, amounts to using city resources to campaign in this election.

Indeed, 65% of this money was spent on promoting city officials, such as the Mayor and Finance MMC:

  • R4.7 million was spent on advertising the State of the City Address;
  • R3.2 million was spent advertising the Budget Speech; and
  • R1.1 million was spent advertising the Moody’s rating.

Just a few weeks ago the DA revealed exorbitant mismanagement of public money by ANC governed metros. The worst offender was the City of Johannesburg that had over R4.2 billion in unauthorised, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure in the last financial year alone.

 

The Auditor General also bemoaned the fact that the City had, in contravention of law, failed to investigate this money to see whether any of it could be reclaimed.

At the time I called for the City to urgently conduct this investigation. But, unsurprisingly nothing came of it. Tau’s silence on this matter has been deafening.

Tau claims to run a clean administration, yet he has overseen gross mismanagement of public money. This is yet another example.

Mr Tau’s government has deliberately broken the guidelines in order to try and gain political advantage.

In fact, this represents R13.8 million of lost opportunity to create jobs in a time of crisis for the youth of our City.

The scale of the corruption of political propaganda in Mr Tau’s administration is breath-taking. There is also a secondary consideration at play. Not only is Mr Tau plundering the City’s resources, this is an attempt to hijack democracy itself by trying to influence the will of the people at the ballot box on August 3rd.

This is a blatant example of the ANC using state funds – the peoples’ money – to advertise itself for the upcoming election under the guise of City advertising. If there was any doubt about this, the advertising has risen dramatically in the run up to the election.

It is important to understand that these figures only include newspaper advertisements. If we were to include the high number of billboards and radio adverts this excessive advertising spend would balloon even further.

We still see a number of billboards around this city for events that took place over a month ago, most notably the City’s Budget Speech. A clear example is the huge billboard on the N1 southbound, R562 on ramp, advertising the Budget Speech which took place on 24 May, 2016.

The Government Communications Policy Guidelines policy document explicitly prohibits excessive advertising, and it clear that the City is contravention of this provision.

Section 3.3.4 on non-permissible advertising reads:

Departments should avoid misuse of public funds for advertising campaigns. Public funds should not be used for departmental advertising where:

  1. a) The method or medium of advertising is excessive or extravagant in relation to the objective being pursued;
  2. b) A reasonable person could interpret the message as promoting a political party, or communicating on behalf of a political party;
  3. g) Members of the department are depicted in a manner that a reasonable person would regard as excessive of gratuitous;
  4. h) The advertising creates a perception that a campaign promotes an individual, like a minister

My colleague, James Selfe MP, has today announced his Private Members Bill for Free and Fair Elections. This Bill proposes that

(1)All organs of state have a duty to promote free and fair elections, and no organ of state may use or abuse public resources to promote or advance the interests of any party or parties, or to disadvantage any party or parties.

(2)No organ of state may publish or cause to be published, any advertisement during any election period: provided that this shall not apply to

(a) Advertisements calling for nominations for any statutory body;

(b) Advertisements pertaining to the recruitment of staff;

(c) Advertisements for the procurement of goods and services, or the invitation to submit tenders;

(d) Advertisements relating to emergency measures;

(e) Advertisements inviting comment on proposed legislation or public policy; and

(f) Legal notices.

This would effectively prohibit advertising during an election period, outside of these examples, and thereby prevent the sort of abuse being witnessed in the City of Johannesburg.

My commitment to the people of Johannesburg is that I will never use their money in this abusive way, if I am elected as your mayor.

Money should be spent on ensuring that jobs are created, and better services are delivered. This will be my priority.

Parks Tau’s refusal to put the people first shows again just how much the ANC has changed. It is time to vote for change that stops this wasteful expenditure, and puts the people of Johannesburg first again.

 

Herman Mashaba

DA Mayoral Candidate for Johannesburg

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Together we can move Tshwane forward again

Note to editors: The following remarks were made by DA Tshwane Mayoral Candidate, Solly Msimanga, at the launch of the DA’s Manifesto for Tshwane in Soshanguve. Msimanga was joined by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane MP and DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL. The full manifesto can be found here.

Fellow democrats,

We have come to Soshanguve today to launch the DA’s Manifesto for Tshwane, our plan to bring change to the Capital that will move it forward again.

For too long the City of Tshwane has suffered at the hands of an uncaring ANC government that has allowed corruption to thrive, service delivery to grind to a halt and unemployment to increase.

Under the ANC government in Tshwane, the potential of this City is not being realised. For too many residents in our Capital City, life is a daily struggle.

But I am here to tell you today that you do not have to accept this.

You do not have to accept an ANC government that spends more time fighting over power and position than working to build this City.

You do not have to accept dishonest and corrupt councillors who use their positions to benefit themselves instead of serving the voters who elected them.

You do not have to accept that under the ANC government this City is not moving forward.

On August 3 you have an opportunity to vote out the ANC and elect a DA government that will bring change to Tshwane.

The Manifesto we are launching today is our promise to the people of Tshwane to bring the change they deserve. Change that will stop corruption, deliver better services and create jobs.

It is a promise to build an opportunity City, with more jobs and an easier way of doing business.

We will grow a culture of entrepreneurship by introducing Job Zones in Ekandustria, Babelegi and Garankuwa, offering developers discounts on development contributions and tariffs in return for creating jobs.

We will create Job Centres, located across the city and operated in partnership with NGOs, to create a contact point between employers and informal jobseekers. Promoting social capital in this way will enable thousands of unemployed residents to earn a living

And we will ensure that EPWP beneficiaries are selected by a fair process and not by ward councillors and their cronies who require applicants to be card carrying members of the ANC.

It is our promise to build a responsive and caring City that will bring local government back to the people so that when community members engage with government, they are heard.

We will accomplish this by ensuring that Ward Committees are democratically elected and fully functional, allowing members of the community to assist ward councillors in connecting with residents.

A DA-run City of Tshwane will listen to its communities, be responsive to their needs and be accountable to them.

It is a promise to build a city that delivers, so that all the residents of this City can live a life of dignity.

We will ensure efficient delivery of quality services to all areas of the City and provide indigent households with free basic municipal services to make sure that our City cares for the most vulnerable.

A DA-run City of Tshwane will lead the way in providing quality services to all residents.

Through sound financial management, by adopting innovative solutions to challenges faced, and reprioritising resources to where they are needed most we will ensure that Tshwane is a City that works.

It is a promise to build an honest City with a responsive government that will stop the rot and decay we have seen in the ANC in Tshwane.

This means making sure that we rid the City of corruption, such as the unfair allocation of housing opportunities and jobs to ANC members or the friends and family of councillors.

We will ensure that our councillors do their jobs properly and if they do not, they will be removed.

We will abolish all forms of cadre deployment in the City administration and open up the tender process to public scrutiny to rid our City of the patronage networks we have seen under the ANC.

It is a promise to build an inclusive City where all residents will be free to flourish.

A more inclusive and integrated city will ensure that we can redress the injustices of the past.

We will do this by providing spaces where all members of the public can come together. Building an inclusive environment means taking deliberate steps to bring people from different walks of life together.

Finally, it is a promise to build a safe City, where residents do not live in fear.

We will properly equip Metro Police officers and Emergency Services to better fight crime, including making sure that response vehicles which have broken down or have been involved in accidents are quickly repaired.

We will establish a specialised narcotics unit within the TMPD to crack down on drug dealers and to make sure our children do not have their futures stolen by addiction.

And we will appoint a qualified and experienced police officer as the Chief of the TMPD. The Chief’s example will inspire discipline and duty among ordinary Metro Police officers.

Fellow democrats,

The DA has a vision for the City of Tshwane to be a prosperous city which exemplifies our values of Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity.

To give life to this vision, a DA government in Tshwane will create a caring, safe and inclusive city that is well-run and makes opportunities available for all.

We cannot do this alone.

Victory for the DA in Tshwane is in reach, but requires the support of every voter who wants to bring change to this City.

With your support, I pledge to build a renewed City of Tshwane.

I pledge to stop corruption, deliver better services and create jobs.

Together we can make Tshwane great again.
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Mashaba: Homes crumbling while Tau sits with all the title deeds

Note to editors: The following is an extract from a speech delivered by the Democratic Alliance’s Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate, Herman Mashaba, during the an oversight visit to address the issues of title deeds and housing in Kersie Dorp, Eldorado Park. Mashaba was joined by the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, and DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements, Makashule Gana MP.

Helen Zille and I have come to Eldorado Park to observe for ourselves the conditions in which you live.

We have been shocked and moved by what we’ve seen. Thank you for sharing your stories with us.

I feel a strong sense of betrayal in this community. It is clear that the ANC of today have betrayed both the Constitution and Mandela’s vision for our nation.

The most serious betrayal is the broken promise to provide dignified shelter to everyone.

Many families of Eldorado Park have been living in flats owned by the City for decades, yet you are still waiting for title deeds.

Tau is allowing your homes to crumble while he sits with all your title deeds.

When elected mayor on 3 August, the DA will do four things to turnaround the housing crisis in Johannesburg:

  1. We will pass ownership within six months by giving tens of thousands of people title deeds. The City of Cape Town has delivered 6,151 title deeds in the last year, compared to Johannesburg’s zero.
  2. We will halt housing list corruption by making the process transparent and open. This information will be made available on the internet.
  3. We will incentivise entrepreneurs who build environmentally friendly and sustainable homes.
  4. We will provide services to informal settlements and embrace them into the City.

We will also tackle the issue of inner city urban regeneration once and for all.

There will be an overhaul of zoning schemes and legislation to see an end to slumlords and derelict buildings in our city.

We will beef up the powers of the City to prevent the ownership and control of buildings being wrested from the rightful owners.

And, in the same way, the responsibility of owners to maintain their buildings will be strongly enforced.

Enforcement will no longer be the weakest aspect of the City’s behavior because weakness deters job creators and investors.

My administration will be fair and competent as we turn around Johannesburg’s housing crisis step by step, day by day.

You the voters must punish the ANC government for their failures on 3 August.

In March almost R1 billion in unused housing funds by Gauteng were sent back to the National Treasury.

This was a tragedy for Johannesburg in particular.

This investment is lost because the money has since been reallocated to other provinces.

Shack and backyard dwellers – the poorest of the poor – are the victims of this chronic mismanagement in this cold winter.

My administration will not abandon people’s hopes and dreams like Parks Tau’s administration has.

I know how important a home is, no matter how basic. A home is far more than a front door, four walls, and a roof.

I know that home ownership is about investing in savings, building a family, and planting roots in a community.

I also know that the struggle of this community is the struggle for jobs. There is a direct link between the jobs crisis and the housing crisis.

There are 869 000 unemployed people in Johannesburg, 66 000 of whom joined the ranks of the unemployed in the first quarter of 2016.

When elected mayor on 3 August, job creation will be my number one priority.

With jobs, people can buy their own homes, taking the pressure off the state to provide homes.

With jobs, we have more revenue to spend on the poor.

With jobs, we can lay pipelines of opportunity.

Every day I speak to disadvantaged men and women who have no jobs, who have no access to the most basic of human rights.

Parks Tau speaks about theory. I speak about action.

We will not abandon the people of Eldorado Park. The DA will stand by you, and stand up for you.

Vote for change on 3 August.

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