Sedibeng spends R250 000 on one event, money that could have been spent to improve service delivery

Sedibeng District Municipality spent R250 000 on the state of the district address which was attended by less than 40 people instead of redirecting the money towards the improvement of service delivery within the city.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) wrote to Sedibeng District Municipality’s Acting Municipal Manager, Makgutle Motswaledi, requesting a complete breakdown of all expenditures incurred during the event.

The Municipal Manager’s response revealed that the City spent at least R79 000 on catering, décor and snacks. R2350 was spent on accreditation for the address.

An additional R159 000 was spent on leasing out a generator, projector, carpet, stage for the parade and pictures of municipal work which was flighted on the projector. The municipality has a video system, public address (PA) systems with microphones, cameras and a sound system and yet chose to waste money on hiring out this equipment.

It is clear that the ANC is not concerned with addressing the real plight of residents, instead, they choose to window dress through frivolous events that do not benefit ordinary citizens of the district.

Sedibeng District Municipality’s overriding mission is to implement prudent and cost-effective financial management and to ensure effective service delivery, the decision to splurge over R250 000 on a single event was neither cost-effective nor in the interest of implementing service delivery.

Despite the election of a new Executive Mayor, Lerato Maloka, the ANC-led municipality is proving to residents that they are more interested in hosting parties and fanfare than serving the residents of Sedibeng.

A DA government in Sedibeng would redirect money and resources towards improving service delivery and uplifting the lives of the poor.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status. 

Learners left without critical education resources as over R2 million lost in burglaries, vandalism and theft in Gauteng

School children in Gauteng are being left without critical educational resources as schools have lost over R2 million due to vandalism, burglaries and theft leaving our children. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is shocked to learn that 1 231 cases have been opened by Gauteng schools since 2020 to date.

It is concerning that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) continues to lose millions in theft, burglaries, and vandalism of schools while not much is being done to safeguard assets. GDE and the Department of Community Safety have dismally failed to prevent such incidents of vandalism, theft, and burglaries in our schools.

This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, in a written reply to my questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

According to MEC Mazibuko, the schools in Gauteng have opened 1 231 cases of vandalism, theft, and burglaries.

Of these cases reported, 300 suspects were arrested in 147 cases and only 34 cases resulted in the conviction of 37 accused persons.

It is very worrying that there are low arrest and conviction rates despite the high number of cases reported.

This means that no arrests were made in 1 084 cases and 1 197 cases did not make it to the court row.

The department’s school’s safety strategy is ineffective, and it is evident through the number of cases reported. This is a clear indication that the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) is also failing to prioritise school safety with adequate police visibility.

Furthermore, the department has lost R2 225 611.00 on these incidents of vandalism, theft, and burglaries in our schools. This money could be used to eradicate asbestos schools and fix deteriorating infrastructure across the province to ensure a conducive learning and safe teaching environment. 

Untrained and unarmed school safety patrollers alone will not be able to safeguard our valuable school’s assets. There is a need for community members to take ownership of the schools and for the department to explore the feasibility of employing permanent security guards to safeguard schools, particularly in areas that have a high crime rate.

In addition, DA proposals such as the installation of fences or walls surrounding schools, installation of CCTV cameras and alarm systems in hotspot schools linked to the nearest police stations would make a profound difference in preventing such incidents from happening again.

MEC Mazibuko must also liaise with the Gauteng SAPS Commissioner, Lieutenant General, Elias Mawela to provide an update with regards to the SAPS intelligence unit investigating the syndicates that are involved in vandalism, theft and burglary of our schools so that the perpetrators can be apprehended and there is a stop to this criminal element.

Schools are precious resources and harming a school is harming the future of our children and the future of their generation.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

3138 Joburg Hospital patients wait for surgery after fire

More than 3000 patients are suffering on long waiting lists for surgery at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) due largely to the fire at the hospital and the pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, there are 3138 patients currently waiting for surgery, with the largest backlogs as follows:

Orthopaedic surgery – 1351 patients

Gastrointestinal surgery – 658 patients

Paediatric surgery – 509 patients

Organ transplants – 182 patients

Neurosurgery – 137 patients

Urology – 109 patients

Mokgethi says that elective surgery at the hospital resumed in the first week of August, with priority given to the urgent cases.

Some of the surgical cases are done at other hospitals including Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph and Nelson Mandela Childrens Hospital.

The impact of surgery delays is given as “progression of the disease, patients being discouraged and some refusing to come back for surgery.” Pain levels increase as well, and in the case of heart patients delays can complicate surgery and make it more risky.

The worst waiting period is for orthopaedic surgery where patients can wait two years for a hip or knee operation.

The waiting lists for child surgery are particularly distressing, from 6 months to two years. The solution here is better use of the Nelson Mandela Childrens Hospital to cut the paediatric surgery backlogs.

The DA will continue to push for the full reopening of CMJH as well as contracts with private hospitals to treat public patients in order to alleviate the suffering of patients on long waiting lists.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

One in four Gauteng state hospitals has an Acting CEO

I am most concerned that eight of Gauteng’s 34 public hospitals have an acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which contributes to poor patient care as they don’t have the authority of a permanent CEO.

Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi revealed this yesterday (24 August) in an oral reply to my questions at a sitting of the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, the following hospitals have acting CEOs:

Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital

Jubilee Hospital

Pretoria West Hospital

Bertha Gxowa Hospital

Far East Rand Hospital

Pholosong Hospital

Bheki Mlangeni Hospital

Sebokeng Hospital

This high number of acting hospital CEOs is another failed promise by Premier David Makhura who said two years ago that all hospitals would have permanent CEOs within 6 months.

A major reason for the high turn-over of hospital heads is that the wrong people are chosen, and are then suspended or fired because of wrongdoing.

At Far East Rand Hospital, for instance, the former CEO was hired despite facing charges that he falsified his overtime records, and he was only fired after a long disciplinary process.

Bheki Mlangeni has been in crisis because the CEO presided over scandals for many years and was finally placed on precautionary transfer in October last year.

The DA will hold Mokgethi to her promise that permanent CEOs will be appointed in all hospitals by the end of December this year.

It is essential that honest and competent people are appointed who will maximise patient care within the available budget.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Was senior Gauteng Health official assassinated to protect corrupt people who steal from the poor?

I am hugely concerned by the murder yesterday morning of senior Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran, who was one of the witnesses for the SIU investigation into the multi-million rand PPE scandal.

Deokaran was shot several times in her car as she entered her complex in Mondeor in south Johannesburg.

This looks like an assassination to prevent her giving key evidence in the PPE corruption, but I also suspect she uncovered more corruption when she served as acting Chief Finance Officer after the departure of the previous CFO Kabelo Lehloenya.

Deokaran was well-known as an honest and efficient official in a department rife with crooked people who think nothing of stealing money that is needed to fix our ailing hospitals.

A well-organised hit like this shows how high the stakes are in the corruption that is being uncovered which probably implicates top political figures as well.

My deep condolences to her family, it is so sad that good people suffer most while those who rob from the poor will stop at nothing to protect themselves from justice.

The DA will push for a high-level speedy investigation to find her murderers, which hopefully assists in uprooting the deep rot in the Gauteng Health Department.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status. 

DA in Johannesburg ready to get the City of Gold back on track

Today, on the first day of my campaign, I met with the entire Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).

We had a very enthusiastic and energetic engagement that covered our vision for the City, our campaign manifesto, and most importantly, how we are all ready to govern for the residents of our wonderful metro.

I am especially thankful to the DA Leader in the CoJ Caucus, Cllr Leah Knott, for her support and dedication to this campaign. Our passion for this City is what drives us every day to work for its residents.

This is especially an exciting time for DA councillors. Since we were voted out of government almost two years ago, DA ward councillors have faced incredibly unfair hurdles and challenges when fighting to get basic services delivered in their communities. At times, weeks have passed before a service request has been actioned by the municipality. From out-of-service traffic lights to broken down substations, from potholes to water supply, DA councillors are so frustrated with a municipal administration that is denying their residents of what they rightfully deserve.

This is why my campaign is focused on getting the basics first fixed. The CoJ is broken, and without getting basic service delivery back on track, this metro will not be able to function like a world-class city. During the DA’s three years in government, progress was not always immediately noticed, but through time, and just like building blocks, we got to see the fruits of our good governance labour that resulted in a different Joburg to what it was in August 2016.

The reality is, we can get Joburg to a better state like it was in November 2019. And then proceed to build on that progress. With a full five year term, the City of Gold can indeed be a place totally different to what it is now.

Tomorrow morning, I kick off a series of listening tours across the CoJ. This is where I will be able to engage councillors in their wards, as well as community members who are unjustly denied the services they deserve. Most importantly, when I engage with the residents, I will not just be hearing, but listening to their concerns so I can provide the right solutions to their interests.

It is time to get Johannesburg back on track.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

Let’s bring proper service delivery and stabilize City of Tshwane

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

For the last 10 months I have had the privilege of being the Executive Mayor in the City of Tshwane.

It has undoubtedly been one of the greatest honours of my life to have served my country as the leader of our capital city.

I became the Executive Mayor at the beginning of November 2020 after the city had been plunged into eight months of chaos by the ANC provincial government.

This came after they unlawfully dissolved our Municipal Council and imposed unelected administrators to run the capital.

In doing so they effectively collapsed service delivery and drove the city to the brink of financial ruin.

Since assuming office my commitment to our residents was very simple, that I would restore basic service delivery and stabilize the finances of the municipality.

This is exactly where I have placed by focus during the last 10 months as we have sought to restore proper governance to the City of Tshwane.

We have done this with a minority government which has brought with it, its own challenges that we have had to overcome.

What it is has shown us, is that we can do so much more with a proper majority so that we can govern the city outright and fully implement the policy positions of the Democratic Alliance to take the city forward.

I am immensely humbled by the DA’s decision to select me to contest the position of mayoral candidate for the City of Tshwane.

I intend to fully embrace this opportunity as it would be an honour to carry on serving the residents of Tshwane as their Executive Mayor.

I would like to thank all those that have supported me thus far in this journey, particularly my Mayoral Committee, my colleagues in the Tshwane caucus, the DA leadership, activists and supporters and all the residents of Tshwane for the faith you have shown in me.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status. 

Time to remove the rot in Ekurhuleni

Note to Editors: Please find attached a soundbite by Refiloe Nt’sekhe.

Fellow South Africans,

My name is Refiloe Nt’sekhe. I am currently the Democratic Alliance Shadow MEC for Social Development in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. I also serve as the party’s Deputy Federal Chairperson.

The Democratic Alliance have selected me to lead the party’s charge in the City of Ekurhuleni as their Mayoral Candidate.

As a resident of Ekurhuleni, and having served as a Councillor in the city, I am aware of the complete and systemic collapse of the municipality.

Ekurhuleni is the epitome of political ineptitude coupled with sheer disdain by those who were elected to run the city five years ago.

Power outages for days, weeks on end, interrupted and unplanned water outages, roads in disrepair, and urban decay is rife while poverty and squalor are the hallmarks of the incompetence of the ANC and their coalition partners.

I know this, because like you, I am a resident of Ekurhuleni. The city is my home, and just like you, these are my lived experiences.

Yet, despite all of this rot, there is hope. There is a solution.

These are not insurmountable challenges. These problems require a leader who is competent and truly dedicated to serve the people of the city first. Ekurhuleni residents need leaders who are humble, committed, and compassionate.

As I stand here today, my promise to you, the residents of Ekurhuleni, is that under my leadership, with the skills and Democratic Alliance’s record of good governance, Ekurhuleni can and will be a city where every single resident is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Real service delivery, real development and growth can and will take place under a DA-led administration.

Like a surgeon removing a deadly tumour, I intend to remove the rot and restore my patient back to full strength.

My commitment is you, the residents of Ekurhuleni. I am here for you. I am in your corner. I am your champion. Dedicated to finding solutions to the service delivery challenges you have been facing.

Together we can overcome and set our municipality on the road to prosperity and improve the lives of all residents.

With those few words, I Refiloe Nt’sekhe, accept the Nomination of DA’s Mayoral Candidate for Ekurhuleni.

I thank you.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.

It is time to get basic services back on track in Johannesburg

I am so honoured to accept my party’s nomination to stand as Mayor of Johannesburg.

I stand ready to take up the tireless task of challenging for the leadership of the Metro, so that I can dedicate my every day in office to making Johannesburg work for our residents.

The City of Johannesburg deserves so much better. Under the current government, it is the capital of service delivery backlogs. Countless electrical outages, water shortages, and roads riddled with potholes – this is not how the economic hub of Africa is meant to function. And I cannot stand to see it go on.

I feel energized just thinking about hitting the ground in this campaign, day after day, to be at one with our residents, to hear them and to take forward their plight. In me, the people of Johannesburg have a champion, a friend and a committed servant. I’m wholeheartedly committed to building upon the DA’s record of good governance for the people of Johannesburg so that they can realize five full years of real change.

It is an opportunity to galvanize the whole of society, to reimagine and rebuild Johannesburg to a city of hope – alive with opportunity. We will clean up the administration, clean up the city, sweep out the rot, deliver services, grow the economy and make Johannesburg the City of Golden Opportunities.

I have stood to become Mayor of Johannesburg because I am built for endurance. I am not afraid of the challenge. I have overcome many hurdles before, both in my personal and professional life. Most importantly, I want to bring my 15 years of working experience in the public service sector, including more than three years of serving as the MMC for Health and Social Development in the City of Johannesburg, to the office of Mayor.

People of Johannesburg, and indeed South Africa, I begin this campaign with a deep appreciation for the reality of the City. Residents do not need meaningless dream-like rhetoric of making Johannesburg a ‘world-class African city’. You need reality, hard work, selfless commitment, vision – and we will start by getting basic service delivery back on track.

Wherever the DA governs, life gets better – it is a fact. DA governments get things done. This is possible in Johannesburg, after this Election. Together let us end the rot, end the decay, stop the decline, and get Jozi working.

I am ready, and so are all of you.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status. 

Five lives lost at Kairos in two months: How many more should die before MEC Mokgethi intervenes?

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is disheartened to learn of the fifth death of a mentally impaired patient at Kairos Centre in two months.  There are claims that patients are being neglected, starved and not served a balanced diet meal, with no proper regular monitoring of whether they are taking their medication and of their physical wellbeing.

It is deeply worrying that this facility is failing to ensure the safety, security, and wellbeing of its patients. The death of the fifth patient should have been prevented by properly trained and caring health care workers. 

It is alleged that two male patients ran away from Kairos Centre, where one of the patients was later found and returned to the centre while the other was chased away.

It is also alleged that the male patient who was chased away left a suicide note five days after being chased away from the centre. Obviously, without any food and nowhere to go, he decided that he could not continue with living and had run in front of a car.

The first incident was the unfortunate death of Shane Jordaan (30), who went missing from the centre on 4th June. His body was later found dumped in a ditch close to Cullinan. This followed the death of two other mentally ill patients and the tragic death of a female patient who committed suicide at this centre. 

There are just too many unanswered questions regarding the death of these five patients as well as the services being rendered to psychiatric patients at this centre. 

Patients who are being provided with the correct nutrition and are being stimulated in a loving and caring environment will not have a desire to run away or commit suicide. The number of runaways and unhappy patients is very concerning and justifies the need for an investigation against Kairos for negligence towards their patients.

The Gauteng Department of Health must be held accountable for all patients transferred to care facilities that they fund such as Kairos Centre. These centres must be evaluated by the department regularly to determine whether the living conditions are conducive for patients with such a debilitating chronic condition. 

Care workers must be adequately trained to assist patients during elevated or depressed mood swings. Correct meal planning is essential to ensure that patients eat a balanced diet for optimal physical and mental wellbeing.

The DA will continue to hound the Gauteng MEC for Health, Nomathemba Mokgethi to ensure that a complete investigation is conducted into the role of the department’s officials and that accuracy is reflected in their evaluation reports. 

The City of Tshwane is in desperate need of centres such as Kairos and we cannot afford to close it down but to ensure that all services are provided in a clean and healthy environment with monthly audits that can be trusted. We also demand that MEC Mokgethi must make public the report on the inspection conducted at the centre recently.

This is not a matter that the DA will allow to be swept under the carpet, and the department will need to come clean about its role and lack of oversight in ensuring that these patients are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Local Government Elections are coming up! Visit check.da.org.za to check your voter registration status.