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New Joburg administration victimises corruption busters

The DA has learned on good authority that the puppet-led administration in Joburg is purging key officials that reported on allegations of maladministration and corruption.

The methods used to clamp down corruption busting include suspensions, laying of charges and threats of demanding personal payment of monies falsely described as fruitless and wasteful.

The war against innocent officials is too ghastly to be described as vindictive. One official has described it as “a nightmare” another called it “a madhouse”. In the process, hardworking officials of high integrity that previously worked under people like the former head of GFIS, General Shadrack Sibiya have been subjected to inhumane treatment and stress.

All this is being done with the intention of overturning investigations against senior officials.

Cllr Mpho Phalatse said, “honest City staff members are under siege.” The DA demands that the new Mayor must bring Floyd Brink and his cronies to heel.

“But we have no confidence that the Mayor nor his ANC masters will stop the purge. Accordingly, we are seeking assistance from outside the City. There are organizations that actively assist whistleblowers. It is to these allies we will turn. We will also engage other government agencies. We will not be bullied”, said Councillor Phalatse.

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The people of Tshwane can’t afford an ANC-EFF puppet mayor or his new toys

Attention broadcasters: Afrikaans and English audio clips attached.

The DA in Tshwane notes that the City’s new Executive Mayor, a puppet of the ANC and EFF, is wasting no time in demanding perks and luxuries for himself – made worse by the reality that the people of Tshwane simply cannot afford it. This has become the signature modus operandi of the coalition of corruption in other captured municipalities.

Reports suggest that Executive Mayor Makwarela has requested at least four official vehicles and eight bodyguards. All at the expense of the people of Tshwane.

Such blatant quid pro quo, cadre-like benefits expose those who seek them as small-fry accomplices to the ANC-EFF’s capture of local government.

It is particularly grating that the Executive Mayor’s security entourage will now seemingly outnumber eight to one the size of his party caucus – COPE having only secured a single seat in the Tshwane City Council.

The case for urgent shoring up of our democracy through fair and reasonable election thresholds is made clearer with every passing moment the ANC-EFF and their puppet mayors insult residents by putting patronage above people.

The Executive Mayor should immediately either explicitly deny the reports regarding his alleged demands for his own blue-light brigade and security detail most residents of the City can only hope for, or make a more sensible decision in eschewing these farcical trapping of his office.

The simple fact of the matter is that the people of Tshwane cannot afford this puppet mayor of an ANC-EFF coalition of corruption.

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Parts of Johannesburg are still without water due to long repair times

Gauteng residents living in parts of Johannesburg have been struggling for days to access water. This is because of the burst that occurred at the Rand Water Palmietfontein pipeline.

After the restoration of the bursts, water was flowing at a limited capacity as a result of airlocks in the system, and the flow of water has been restricted. Joburg Water is currently bleeding the system to get rid of the airlocks in the pipes and will return to pumping later today.

This has had an impact on the following reservoirs: Jeppe, South Hills and Alexander Park reservoir.

We have already engaged with Joburg Water on this matter. Joburg Water has indicated that the repairs are complete, but it is taking time for the Alexander Parks reservoir to fill up but not at the pressure required to meet the demand.

See video here.

Due to the long time it has taken to repair the Palmietfontein line it is affecting how quickly the reservoirs fill up and loadshedding does not help the situation.

Residents are urged to adhere to the current water restrictions that are in place and to use water sparingly. When this system is disrupted for extended periods of time, it takes a few days before our reservoirs reach full capacity and for there to be enough pressure for water to reach all our residents.

The DA will submit questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature regarding the problems we are currently experiencing with Rand Water in the province.

We once again demand that an inter-governmental task team be set up to deal with this province’s water and electricity crisis.

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MEC Chiloane must stop misleading the public as Durban Deep and Braamfischer Primary Schools will not be completed by end of March

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is concerned that the Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, is misleading the public by claiming that Durban Deep Primary school and Braamfischer Primary School in Roodepoort will be completed by end of March 2023.

The DA conducted oversight inspections at these two schools today. We discovered that no construction is underway at Durban Deep Primary School to replace the current school built on improper materials.

Durban Deep Primary School infrastructure is dilapidated, the toilets are collapsing, and there is no privacy. More than 1200 learners are congested in an old mining dump site.

The department committed to replacing the school with a brick-and-mortar structure more than five years ago; to date, nothing has happened.

Furthermore, according to the department’s third quarter report tabled by the MEC, he indicated that Durban Deep Primary School is among 84 schools to be replaced, and the construction will be completed by the end of March this year.

Braamfischer Primary School will not be completed by the end of March this year as the construction work is far from being completed. The construction has been characterised by ongoing payment disputes with subcontractors from the inception of the project. The project has been under construction for more than five years.

The DA will be requesting the portfolio committee of education in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to visit the site with the department to show us the progress made as claimed on the department’s third quarter report. This report is open to the public and must not be misleading. We will probe how much has been spent so far on these projects and the work that has been done, and we want to know the appointed contractors.

Delays in completing school projects continue to have a huge impact on delivering quality education for our children.

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Poor planning, corruption and illegal invasions halting service delivery for Lesedi Municipality residents

Poor planning, corruption and illegal invasions have left the residents of Obed Nkosi RDP houses, Shalimar Ridge and Rensburg flats in Lesedi Local Municipality without much-needed service delivery.

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection in all three Urban Renewal Projects.

Despite the municipality not having the necessary plans to upgrade the bulk service systems such as water and electricity, more than 60 000 residents have occupied these RDP houses and flats.

Currently, the bulk infrastructure system cannot handle the pressure because it has not been upgraded, resulting in sewer blockages, electricity cuts and houses being flooded during the rainy season due to no drainage systems in place.

We further engaged with the residents of Shalimar Ridge flats, who have now accumulated a utility bill of over R42 million due to non-payment of services. In addition, most of the residents in Shalimar Ridge flats have illegally invaded these flats.

Efforts by the DA to solve the illegal invasion issue in these Urban Renewal Projects have yielded no results despite the municipality and the Department of Human Settlement being made aware of the matter.

Furthermore, we have been reliably informed that government officials have also occupied the Rensburg flats, yet they do not qualify and are not the rightful beneficiaries.

It appears a key reason why the issue of illegal invasions in these Urban Renewal Projects is not being investigated is that government officials are involved.

The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Lebogang Maile, must institute an urgent forensic audit of all the Urban Renewal Projects across the province to ensure that they have access to bulk infrastructure such as water, electricity and sanitation.

The MEC must also determine whether the people who have occupied these houses are the rightful beneficiaries.

Should it be found that they have been illegally invaded, proper processes must be followed to evict the illegal occupants and allow the rightful beneficiaries to occupy these houses.

The DA will further table questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to ascertain the department’s plans concerning the Urban Renewal Projects in Lesedi and will provide feedback to the residents.

The people of Lesedi Municipality deserve better living conditions and development where they can access adequate service delivery.

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New Constituency Political Head for Lesedi further strengthens DA in the Vaal

The DA in the Vaal Region is excited to announce the appointment of Wendy Alexander MP as the Constituency Political Head for Lesedi.

The Lesedi Constituency follows the same boundaries as the Lesedi Local Municipality and includes Ratanda, Heidelberg, Devon/Impumelelo and the surrounding rural farmland areas.

Wendy was elected as a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly at the end of 2022 and has been assigned to the Select Committee on Finance.

She was previously a Councillor in the Johannesburg Municipality and served as the Democratic Alliance’s Chief Whip and as the Chair of the Transport Committee.

With this experience, an honour’s degree from the University of Pretoria and a Certificate for Leadership in Local Governance from the Wits School of Governance, Wendy brings a wealth of experience and capability to help to guide the Lesedi Caucus and Constituency.

Wendy is also a board member of the South African Guide Dog Association.

The Regional Executive would like to thank Councillor Gerry Holtzhausen who held the position of Constituency Head in addition to his responsibilities as Ward Councillor since November 2020.

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Premier Lesufi and his executives fail to answer service delivery questions leaving residents in limbo

It is profoundly worrying that Gauteng residents have to wait for a very long time to receive any formal response from the Premier of Gauteng and his executives regarding service delivery issues they raise through the Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPL).

A number of the questions submitted to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) regarding issues we pick up during our oversight inspections and interactions with various communities across this province.

According to a communication we received from the GPL, all the questions not answered in writing last year will need to be resubmitted. As the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, we take our oversight role seriously; hence, we will resubmit our written questions as instructed. This is the only way in which we can get the government working and start delivering services to our residents.

In 2022 we submitted 967 questions for written reply to the Gauteng Executives. The following departments are the top offenders when it comes to not answering our questions on time:

  • Social Development
  • Community Safety

This means that the MECs mandated to deliver services to our residents are not performing and not committed hence they fail to respond to the legislature questions within the stipulated timeframe. The lack of responsiveness from these departments shows a disregard for not only the crucial role of the GPL for public participation but the rights of the residents of Gauteng to hold their government to account.

This is a clear indication that service delivery is not their top priority. If these MECs have nothing to hide and have indeed delivered on the promises made and targets set by their departments, they will be answering questions on time.

The DA will be resubmitting all unanswered written questions to ensure that our residents are informed about the service delivery issues in their areas. Furthermore, the DA will write to the Speaker in the GPL demanding that the Premier and his executives are held to account for failing to answer the written questions on time. The DA takes our mandate as public representatives seriously, so we will work to ensure that the role of the GPL in holding the executive accountable is fulfilled.

Gauteng residents deserve a government that is truly committed to making sure that quality services are delivered to our residents. Come 2024, a DA government will replicate the Western government by introducing something similar to First Thursday, where the Premier and Executives will be accessible to our residents in terms of responding to service delivery issues. This will fast-track service delivery and ensure that the Premier and Executives render adequate quality services to our people.

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DA to assess the state of infrastructure at Durban Deep Primary school and Braamfischer Primary School

Tomorrow, Thursday, 2 March 2023, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Khume Ramulifho MPL, will conduct oversight inspections at Durban Deep Primary School and Braamfischer Primary School in Roodepoort.

The purpose of the oversight inspections is to assess the state of the infrastructure at Durban Deep Primary School and the progress made in the construction of a brick-and-mortar at Braamfischer Primary School.

The DA has been reliably informed that the construction has resumed at Braamfischer Primary School. But unfortunately, the department has dragged its feet far too long in completing a brick-and-mortar school at Braamfischer Primary School, as the building project was incepted five years ago.

The DA will engage the management of both schools to ascertain possible solutions to the infrastructure challenges they are faced daily.

Members of the media are invited, and there will be an opportunity for interviews and photographs.

The details of the oversight inspections are as follows:

Date:2 March 2023

Oversight inspection one

Venue: Durban Deep Primary School, 12 Enoc Sontonga Street, Durban Deep, Roodepoort 1725.

Time: 10:00-10:45

Oversight inspection two

Venue: Braamfischer Primary School, Stand 2513 Phase 2, Jackie Ncube Dr, Roodepoort, 1725.

Time: 11:00-11:45

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DA to assess the state of the Lesedi Municipality’s neglected Urban Renewal Projects

Today, Thursday, 2 March 2023, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow MEC for Human Settlements, Mervyn Cirota MPL and the DA Caucus Leader in Lesedi, Cllr Bontle Mogorosi will conduct oversight inspections at the Obed Nkosi RDP houses, Social Housing Flats, and the Shalimar Ridge RDP houses in Lesedi Municipality.

The purpose of the oversight inspections is to assess the state of these RDP houses and flats and to engage with the residents on the infrastructure and service delivery challenges.

The Obed Nkosi RDP residents continue to suffer due to terrible road infrastructure, a lack of proper access to adequate sanitation and a reliable supply of electricity.

The DA will engage with the residents to ascertain the challenges that they are faced with and determine possible solutions to force the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements to deliver on its core mandate to ensure that these Urban Renewal projects have access to all the much-needed basic services.

Members of the media are invited and there will be an opportunity for interviews and photographs.

Details of the oversight inspections are as follows:

Date:2 March 2023

Meeting point: DA Office, Corner of Voortrekker and HF Verwoed Streets Heidelberg.

Time: 09:30

Oversight inspection one:

Venue: Obed Nkosi RDP house, Ratanda, Lesedi Municipality.

Time: 10:00-10:30

Oversight inspection two:

Venue: Shalimar Ridge Walk-Up RDP houses, Corner of R549 and Kismet Street, Shalimar Ridge.

Time: 11:00-11:30

Oversight inspection three:

Venue: Rensburg Social Housing Flats, Corner of AG Visser Street and Suttman Street, Rensburg.
Time:11:30-12:00

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DA to assess the state of the Lesedi Municipality’s neglected Urban Renewal Projects

Tomorrow, Thursday, 2 March 2023, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow MEC for Human Settlements, Mervyn Cirota MPL and the DA Caucus Leader in Lesedi, Cllr Bontle Mogorosi will conduct oversight inspections at the Obed Nkosi RDP houses, Social Housing Flats, and the Shalimar Ridge RDP houses in Lesedi Municipality.

The purpose of the oversight inspections is to assess the state of these RDP houses and flats and to engage with the residents on the infrastructure and service delivery challenges.

The Obed Nkosi RDP residents continue to suffer due to terrible road infrastructure, a lack of proper access to adequate sanitation and a reliable supply of electricity.

The DA will engage with the residents to ascertain the challenges that they are faced with and determine possible solutions to force the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements to deliver on its core mandate to ensure that these Urban Renewal projects have access to all the much-needed basic services.

Members of the media are invited and there will be an opportunity for interviews and photographs.

Details of the oversight inspections are as follows:

Date:2 March 2023

Meeting point: DA Office, Corner of Voortrekker and HF Verwoed Streets Heidelberg.

Time: 09:30

Oversight inspection one:

Venue: Obed Nkosi RDP house, Ratanda, Lesedi Municipality.

Time: 10:00-10:30

Oversight inspection two:

Venue: Shalimar Ridge Walk-Up RDP houses, Corner of R549 and Kismet Street, Shalimar Ridge.

Time: 11:00-11:30

Oversight inspection three:

Venue: Rensburg Social Housing Flats, Corner of AG Visser Street and Suttman Street, Rensburg.
Time:11:30-12:00