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A vote for ActionSA may well be a vote for the EFF

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites by Thomas Walters; DA Johannesburg Mayoral Campaign Manager, Mike Moriarty; and DA Mayoral Candidate for Johannesburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse.

The DA has made it abundantly clear that it will not enter into a coalition or governing agreement with the EFF in any municipality. We are fundamentally two completely different parties, which are moving in completely different directions.

The DA is a party with a track record of excellence in service delivery and getting things done where we govern. While the EFF is a party of anarchy, violence and chaos.

While the DA will not, under any circumstances, cooperate with the EFF post-elections – we must warn voters that by voting for ActionSA they could well be opening the backdoor for the EFF in municipalities and metros across the country.

The DA can today reveal that ActionSA has a host of ex-DA members who have colluded with the EFF in the past and who could most certainly not hesitate to get into bed with the EFF despite the mandate they received from their voters.

Hermann Mashaba recently said that he would not go into coalitions without first consulting the voters. However, the DA can today tell voters that in 2017 Mashaba, as a DA member, used his position as Johannesburg Mayor to lobby for the EFF to be given the mayorship of Metsimaholo. He proposed giving away a municipality to the red berets to manage in exchange for support somewhere else. It must be noted here that the DA did not bend to his will, and eventually he left.

The DA is not in the business of releasing its internal information, but we have a redacted version of a letter – in which Mr Mashaba says to the DA Federal Executive (FedEx):

  • “Whether we like it or not, the EFF is a strategic partner of the DA to save SA. We can’t do it on our own. Clear FACT.” – Mr Mashaba clearly sees the EFF as a partner, not a danger to the future of South Africa. EFF policies would take SA down the road to ruin, but Mr Mashaba sees them as a partner;
  • “My personal view is that if we don’t support them in this matter, I then don’t see why they must support us somewhere else. We would have demonstrated to them and some people of this country that we are an arrogant party that does not respect other political parties. It would be about narrow DA principles.” – Mr Mashaba here clearly does not think that DA principles such as the rule of law or the protection of private property matters. Furthermore, it shows his willingness to do whatever it takes to be in the good books of the EFF;
  • “I would like to close by appealing to us to use this EFF arrangement in Metsimaholo, to strengthen our relationship with them and our other coalition partners. EFF is going to rely on us to assist them to succeed.” – Mr Mashaba clearly articulates his desire to see the EFF succeed, while the DA wants the EFF to fail so South Africa can succeed.

For his part, ActionSA’s John Moodey, while still at the DA in 2019, tried to convince the DA FedEx to give the EFF two senior positions within the Johannesburg government. To quote the minutes of that meeting, “The Gauteng leader, Mr John Moodey, proposed that the Party offer the EFF two positions on the mayoral committee and noted that it is unlikely that voters will notice or remember said appointments as MMCs are not well known.” The DA did not bend to his will, and he left to join ActionSA.

From these excerpts it is clear that the ActionSA leadership believe that the EFF is a crucial partner in the future of South Africa. The DA believes that voters have the right to know if the party they are voting for will allow their vote to push the EFF into positions where they will govern.

Why does that matter? Because the EFF is a threat to the future of South Africa. The EFF would much rather see our country divided along racial prisms for their own narrow political outcomes. The EFF thrives on violence and chaos. It is a party that wants control and expropriate the property and possessions of South Africans. And they want to come for South Africans’ pensions, medical aids and investments.

This is the type of party that ActionSA may be willing to get into bed with. A vote for ActionSA may well be a vote for the EFF.

The DA calls on voters to use their power on 1 November to vote for a party that will protect their property rights, and defend the Constitution, the rule of law and a free market. There’s only one party that is big enough to take on the ANC and keep the EFF out and that party is the DA.

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71% of government contracts in Ekurhuleni awarded to service providers outside the municipality

The ANC-PA-IRASA Coalition government in Ekurhuleni has exported 71.5% of its total tenders awarded in the first quarter of this financial year to businesses operating outside the municipality.

Total expenditure on procurement of goods and services for the first quarter amounted to R60.7 million, however only R17.3 million of this was spent on local service providers.

In a municipality with a 39% unemployment rate, it is concerning that opportunities for residents of Ekurhuleni are exported to other municipalities or provinces.

I have been to a light industrial business hive in Etwatwa which, at a price tag of R44million, is nothing more than a white elephant as the facility has sat vacant for two years since it opened.

If projects like this were fully operational, residents would be in a better position to upskill themselves, grow their businesses and contribute to the needs of Ekurhuleni while making a living for themselves – ultimately, feeding their families and creating jobs.

I have seen other such hives across the municipality that are in a similar state.

Public funds invested in projects such as these to assist people are nothing but monuments standing testament to the ineptitude of the ANC and its coalition partners in Ekurhuleni.

Ekurhuleni cannot continue its current trajectory.

Residents deserve a government that stimulates an environment conducive to economic growth and job creation, not a government that traps residents in a cycle of poverty and hopelessness.

Under a DA-led Ekurhuleni, centres such as these will be repurposed to ensure that they fulfil the functions they were intended to do. In the DA municipality of George, youth cafes such as these have been used to stimulate economic activity for the youth and upskilling programmes have gone a long way to reducing unemployment in economically depressed areas.

Functioning Hives will ensure that government spending is localised because the requisite skills and functions will be available at a local level – ultimately benefitting the people of Ekurhuleni.

A DA government in Ekurhuleni will get things done to ensure that Ekurhuleni works!

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Leeuwpoort Mega Human Settlement: A R2 Billion White Elephant

The City of Ekurhuleni’s R2 billion Leeuwpoort Mega Human Settlement, which is supposed to build 22 000 houses for the residents of: Joe Slovo, Boksburg ,Ulana Park, Hlahane, Driefontein, Crossroads (Roodekop Ext 3), Vosloorus, Kalamazoo and Katlehong, is nothing but a vacant piece of land.

The project, which commenced in 2017, is a multiyear project and is supposed to be completed in 2024.

However, this completion date seems highly unlikely.

Upon visiting this site, all that could be seen was a few attenuating walls and two overhead cranes that have not moved since they were delivered to the site in 2019.

See picture here

The land identified for this site is a wetland and the ground itself is dolomitic, the soils is unstable and not suitable for a housing development.

Residents whom I engaged from Reiger Park, which is next to the site – and from where some beneficiaries of this project will hail, from told me that they have had little to no feedback from the municipality as to the status of this project or by when identified beneficiaries will be moved to the site.

Ekurhuleni is home to 125 informal settlements, a number which grow exponentially every year due to the high levels of in-migration into Gauteng from neighbouring provinces.

There is a massive demand for dignified housing across the municipality, which is why the successful implementation of a project such as Leeuwpoort is vital to moving our people out of squalor.

Sadly, under the ANC and its coalition partners in Ekurhuleni, Leeuwpoort is but just another example of failed delivery in this city.

As I have traversed the length and breadth of this municipality, I have seen billions of Rands worth of failed, wasteful projects that have been of no use to the residents whom were the intended beneficiaries.

Under a DA-led Ekurhuleni, wasteful, incomplete and poorly built infrastructure will be a thing of the past.

Where the DA governs, we ensure that residents receive the services that they deserve.

The DA makes your money work for you.

The choice is clear, you can vote for a party that will continue the rot, or a party that gets things done!

On Monday 1 November, residents of Ekurhuleni will vote out a government that has kept them trapped in poverty and indignity and chose a party that gets things done!

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DA-governed Johannesburg will switch off power to e-Toll gantries

Note to Editors: The following remarks were made today at a media briefing by DA Mayoral Candidate for Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Phalatse.

Any Mayor of a municipality has a responsibility to protect their residents, especially when it comes to their interests of basic service delivery. It is evident that a Mayor like Mpho Moerane, who was caught out lying this past weekend about Johannesburg residents being protected from loadshedding, is not in the business of being a responsible Mayor.

Should I be elected to serve as Mayor of Johannesburg after these elections, I intend on being a responsible Mayor for the residents by ensuring effective service delivery.

The DA has been informed that the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), the custodian of the e-Tolls system and their gantries across the province, are currently in arrears with City Power.

Where gantries exist in City Power supply areas, City Power is currently supplying them with electricity. In a normal circumstance, SANRAL should be paying the bills for this service.

But with SANRAL in arrears, it means the City of Johannesburg is not receiving revenue for this service, and the cost to keep these gantries on is being footed to the residents of Johannesburg.

Should the DA be elected to govern Johannesburg, we will switch off the electricity supply to e-Toll gantries in City Power supply areas such as on William Nicol Drive and in Rivonia, effectively collapsing the e-Toll system in strategic nodes, based on non-payment by SANRAL. We cannot allow the residents of Johannesburg to suffer any further from a shortage of services, because national government is failing to take responsibility and pay their bills.

It is unfair for local governments to bail out national government at the expense of service delivery. The non-payment by SANRAL shortchanges City Power with much needed revenue to fix ageing and broken down infrastructure. With less revenue, it is the residents of Johannesburg who suffer outages that last up to weeks because City Power does not have enough funding to clear their own infrastructure backlog. This lost revenue could have also been directed towards procurement of electricity from independent power producers to start freeing residents from loadshedding.

Currently, Joburg residents are not getting value for money for services. Despite some residents dutifully paying their rates and levies, there are constant power outages across the City. As Mayor, I will have the responsibility to ensure that basic services are delivered, and all municipal funds are used responsibly.

Municipalities get their revenue from various sources including, rates and levies, division of revenue, and grants from other tiers of government. However, when a municipality does not get revenue from these sources, it has a terribly negative effect on service delivery – especially because municipalities plan budgets based on what sources of revenue they anticipate to receive.

In many instances such as in the case of SANRAL, national and provincial government utilise services provided by the City of Johannesburg like electricity and water. Whether these are government departments or entities, they are expected to pay their rates and levies for any services used.

Therefore, we will not stop at SANRAL. A DA-led Johannesburg will clamp down on the culture of non-payment across all services, for any provincial or national departments, entities, and companies that are in debt to the City. Revenue is the lifeblood of basic service delivery, and we will not allow the residents to suffer anymore.

The revenue that belongs to the City of Johannesburg must be paid to the City of Johannesburg. Service delivery must be restored. It is only a DA government that will get things done in the City of Gold.

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Ekurhuleni, vote for the DA to get things done!

Note to editors: This is an extract summary of DA Ekurhuleni Mayoral Candidate, Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL’s, speech at Ekurhuleni’s “Let’s Get Things Done” rally.

The full speech can be downloaded here.

See pictures here here and here

Halala, DA, Halala!

Halala, Ekurhuleni, Halala!

Halala, 1 November, Halala!

We are about one week away from an election that is poised to change the landscape of Ekurhuleni.

Today we are in Reiger Park where people live without services, without dignity, and for many – no hope. An area that those in Green, Black and Gold have completely forgotten about.

If you don’t believe me, go look down the road at the site of Leeuwpoort Mega Housing Project!

This project was started in 2017 and should have provided 22 000 housing opportunities by 2024 for the people of Reiger Park and surrounds – but all there is to show for this project are two cranes that have never moved since the day they were delivered to the site.

The only thing mega about this project is the price tag. R2 billion to be precise.

Do you see R2 billion worth of development? There isn’t even one house on the identified land.

But I bet if you look in the pockets of the Cadres running this city – you’ll find these billions.

I have seen taxi ranks, industrial hubs, trading centres, development projects worth millions wasted. Our communities were not consulted with these projects and so no one is using these white elephants.

Monetary waste is but one aspect of the criminal nature of this government. The true crime is the oppression of our people – the missed opportunities to empower our people. The missed opportunity to deliver services to our people.

This is the real crime committed.

Our youth have lost hope and turned to drugs, alcohol for comfort. Unemployment has ravaged their futures.

I have seen our fathers and brothers – able bodied men, reduced to begging and turning to a life of crime just to make ends meet. In increasing circumstances, beating us women and our children to vent their frustrations.

I have seen our fellow mothers and sisters – strong women, turn to unthinkable acts in exchange for payment just to put food on the table.

Yet, the current Mayor would have us believe that this is a clean, safe, thriving city…

Are we living in a clean, safe, thriving city?

No, we are not.

There are over 1000 power outages in Ekurhuleni every single day.

Why?

Because the municipality has not invested in new infrastructure or maintained existing infrastructure.

In Phomolong, Tembisa, there is supposed to be a R70 million power station except that instead of a power station, there is an open field.

Yes, it’s a very expensive field. A power station would have increased power security for the communities of Ekurhuleni. Instead this project has lined the pockets of connected cadres.

Residents, you have the power to taste a City where people have dignified lives.

Together we can liberate ourselves from those who have taken us for granted: insulting our existence every day.

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

Don’t take my word for it, even the national government agrees that the best run municipalities in South Africa are all run by the DA.

Where the DA governs, we keep the lights on.

Where the DA governs, we make sure that people have access to fresh water and sanitation.

Where the DA governs our cities create an environment conducive to economic growth so that much needed jobs for our people are created.

The DA will put you first, because you – residents of Ekurhuleni, are our most valuable assets.

You are the life blood of this city.

Ekurhuleni, I am here for you.

I am in your corner; I am your champion – I am your humble servant.

On 01 November, take up your power: this election is the last chance to rescue towns and cities from the destruction of the ANC, and stop the free-fall.

Millions of South Africans have used their power to vote the DA into government in places across South Africa because only the DA gets things done. And the 5 best run Municipalities are DA-run.

The ANC & EFF cannot be allowed to rise and work together. If they do, they will be able to change the Constitution and take away rights and protections we all enjoy. Only the DA is big enough to stop this threat, because only the DA is big enough to beat the ANC.

If every single opposition voter unites behind the DA and turns out to vote to stop the ANC & EFF can this be done.

It is only your vote that can hire the DA to fix Ekurhuleni.

This election is for you. To reclaim dignity. To hire the DA to get things done.

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R2.6 billion paid for Gauteng Hospital security contracts that expired five years ago

The Gauteng Health Department has paid 59 security companies R2.6 billion for contracts to guard public hospitals that were supposed to expire five years ago but have been irregularly extended every month.

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

According to Mokgethi, the original two-year contracts were meant to expire in September 2016. However, “due to the critical nature of the services, there was a need for extension of contracts, therefore the service rendered needs to be paid.”

Mokgethi says that in 2016 the Department advertised for new security contracts, but the tender was subsequently cancelled.

Another tender was advertised on 11 September last year but “due to the high volume of the responses as well as the various phases of evaluation process, it is at the final stage.”

This is extremely poor management of security tenders which appear to be grossly overpriced and should have been reviewed five years ago. One example is R3 million spent every month for security at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, which is ridiculously high and was unable to stop R30 million theft of copper pipes following the fire there in April this year.

Every year the Auditor-General is critical of huge irregular spending by the department, including about R600 million of hospital security contracts that have been extended on a month by month basis for five years.

I suspect corruption as it is a typical trick to get a tender for a limited period which is then extended for much longer.

The department can save a lot of money by regular reviews of security contracts to ensure value for money and effectiveness.

Far too much is spent wastefully when every penny is needed to provide decent health care for patients who suffer from services in our hospital and clinics.

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DA calls on Mayor Moerane to resign after Eskom and City Power expose him as a liar

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg notes the stunning turn of events where City Power and Eskom have smacked down Mayor Mpho Moerane’s misleading lies, and have exposed him as a political gimmick, after this morning’s sudden announcement that City customers will no longer be protected from loadshedding.

Following Eskom’s implementation of stage 2 loadshedding last week, Moerane stated that the City of Johannesburg rejected loadshedding, claiming that City Power had the capacity to protect residents from stages 1 and 2. This was very shortly followed by City Power announcing the Joburg loadshedding schedule, only to then retract and state that City customers would be protected from loadshedding. Despite this, residents across the City were still switched off according to the schedule.

This was absolutely nothing more than a cheap, shallow and inconsiderate election stunt by the ANC. In a media statement yesterday, I exposed this lie and laid bare the facts of how it was impossible for City Power to offset loadshedding using additional supply from the Kelvin Power Station.

The confusion around whether residents would experience loadshedding or not, was unnecessary and selfish. This once again proves the ANC’s inability to govern effectively, and rely only on blatant election lies as a last ditch effort to win votes.

The DA calls on Mayor Moerane to resign for this terrible failure of responsible leadership. This is not a man worthy of the role of Mayor.

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ANC Mayor Mzwandile Masina must scrap the flawed Ekurhuleni valuation roll

Today residents of Ekurhuleni and I, handed over a memorandum to ANC Ekurhuleni Mayor, Mzwandile Masina, demanding that the latest property valuation roll be set aside.

See pictures here here here and here

See video here

The valuation roll process was not handled correctly by the contractor awarded the tender and as such, residents of Ekurhuleni are being billed out of their homes with exorbitant rates and taxes based on property values that are in no way a true reflection of market value.

The DA has received thousands of complaints by residents who have indicated that the ANC-led municipality is unwilling to adjust their property values to the correct market value.

The DA has submitted both petitions and motions to Council, however the ANC and their alliance partners have dismissed these off the bat.

Property values in Ekurhuleni are up between 50% to 300%, this includes owners of RDP houses and low-income homes who too are bearing the brunt of this calamitous valuation roll.

Scores of Section 49 notices, that form part of the Municipal Property Rates Act – notices to inform property owners about the increase of property values, were found dumped in open area within Kempton Park.

These letters were recovered by DA Councilors and delivered to the Mayor’s office. To date there has been no word from the Mayor or City Manager to indicate whether these letters were eventually delivered to the homeowners. More than likely, the Mayor and City Mangers silence confirms our suspicions that they were not.

According to the municipality’s Finance Department, the municipality received 47,322 objections of which 10,899 of those are Omission Objections. Objections received excluding omissions amount to 36 423 – this includes both public objections and the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) objections submitted.

The DA believes that the number quoted for omissions is incorrect, as the information we have collected indicates that over 30 000 properties were omitted just in the Northern Region (Bedfordview & Edenvale).

The chaos that this messy valuation process has unleashed on the municipality’s already ailing Finance Department is shocking.

Residents are being billed for property rates in the highest property value brackets. Residents must now apply every 3 months for an extension to pay a reduced rate because 90% of property owners cannot afford to pay these increased rates.

 

The memorandum by the DA and residents demands that Mayor Masina set aside the current valuation roll, layout a flat rate increase for the balance of this financial year until the process is done correctly and reflects the true value of resident’s homes.

The ANC and its coalition partners in the Metro are hell-bent on destroying not only people’s livelihoods, but also evicting them from their homes by imposing rates that cannot be afforded.

Ekurhuleni residents, the DA is in your corner – fighting for you and your homes. The DA will not rest until this matter is resolved because the DA gets things done.

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Gauteng vaccinations need to be boosted

A concerted boost is needed to push up lagging Covid-19 vaccinations in Gauteng, including one million people who have not returned for their second jab.

Only 23.29% of Gauteng adults are fully vaccinated, the second lowest in the country, compared to 34.44% in Limpopo and 32.23% in the Western Cape.

In South Africa as a whole 27.17% of adults are fully vaccinated.

Gauteng needs to do more than 100 000 vaccinations a day to reach the target of 70% vaccinated by December, but daily vaccinations have fallen below 60 000.

About four million people have registered in Gauteng on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS), but only 3 683 712 have received their first dose, and 2 668 617 are fully vaccinated.

I am concerned that less than 60% of the most vulnerable people over 60 years older have been vaccinated in Gauteng.

Anti-vaccine sentiment is probably less of a factor than transport and access issues for the elderly.

Although children between the ages of 12 and 17 are now eligible for the vaccine, the focus should still be on older people who are much more vulnerable to severe illness and death from the virus.

Better outreach efforts are needed to reach the elderly with vaccinations, including transport arrangements or visiting them where they live.

This will help to flatten the expected fourth wave of infections in December and ease the strain on our hospitals.