The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes the urgent interdict applied for by the City Manager for the City of Tshwane, Moeketsi Mosola, to prevent the release of the GladAfrica report, has been granted by the Labour Court. We suspect that the interdict application was purely a move to supress the facts contained in a report on the GladAfrica contract. If the City Manager had nothing to hide he should have allowed the report to be heard in Council today. The Tshwane City Manager has accused the DA of planning to loot the municipality coffers to fund our election campaign for next year. This allegation is outrageous and the City Manager should in fact want the report to be released and the truth to be exposed to the public. The DA-led City of Tshwane’s administration is committed to uprooting corruption and ensuring that due processes are followed in terms of the awarding of tenders. Corruption, maladministration and tender irregularities have no place where the DA governs. We will ensure that those implicated in this matter face the full consequences of their actions. |
DA-led Johannesburg working to restore order and keep residents safe
by John Moodey – DA Gauteng Leader
The DA-led City of Johannesburg, together with the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, is taking action to tackle the scourge of crime in the city.
We inherited a city in state of disrepair from the ANC administration, a city held hostage by drug lords and crime.
The residents of Johannesburg deserve a safer city.
We have therefore recruited 1 500 additional metro police officers, in addition to the 3 700 existing operational officers, who are patrolling the streets daily in cars and on foot and have additional stop and search powers.
A new specialised K9 narcotics unit was also set up within the police department just under a year ago as one of the measures to crack down on drug trafficking in the City.
The new unit’s focus on drug-related crimes in hotspot areas such as Rosettenville, Turffontein and Roodepoort has yielded considerable success, including the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of drugs, stolen mobile phones, hijacked vehicles, hijacked buildings and the arrest of hundreds of undocumented immigrants.
The department’s Operation #BuyaMtheto campaign, which enforces by-laws and brings the rule of law back to the city, has collected more than R1.8 million from unpaid traffic fines during the first two weeks of February.
Another initiative is the newly launched police satellite station in Kenilworth, which is part of our vision to create safe and secure communities for our citizens. The DA will do everything in its power to ensure that every Johannesburg resident, regardless of race, age or background, feels safe in the City.
We have also installed 25 high tech CCTV cameras in Soweto’s popular Vilakazi Street, to enhance the safety of business owners, the public and tourists who visit the houses of Nobel Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
We reiterate our view that high visibility policing and rapid response units are needed if we are going to reduce crime and ensure criminals are brought to book.
Our crime and safety initiatives are just one example of why the DA is the only party to vote for in the next election.
Where we govern, we are bringing order and changing the lives of our people.
This is the beginning of real change that builds one South Africa for all, where citizens feel safe in their homes and on the streets.
Midvaal State of the Municipality Address a testament to the DA’s commitment to progress
10 May 2017
The DA welcomes the promising State of the Municipality Address which was delivered by the Mayor of Midvaal, Bongani Baloyi. His administration governs with an increased majority, up from 55% to 59.7%, and it is clear why.
During his speech Mayor Baloyi outlined how his administration will spend its budget on making delivering water and sanitation services to those in need.
• The municipality has committed R 200 million over the current term of office to improve water supply to Sicelo and other informal settlements in Midvaal.
• R 149,5 million has been set aside to upgrade water treatment works at Vaal Marina and Ohenimuri, and to expand the sewage network in Sicelo and Daleside.
• R 350 million is earmarked for sanitation over the term of his administration.
The pro-poor Midvaal administration will also prioritise the electrification of areas that have been in darkness. R 212 million will therefore be spent on the upgrading of the municipal electricity network, the municipality also aims to deliver 23 070 housing opportunities by 2021.
In order for the local economy to grow, adequate infrastructure is of utmost importance. Midvaal will therefore spend R55 million on tarring 23 kilometres of roads in the municipality. R170 million has also been set aside to maintain our existing road network.
We look forward to seeing progress in terms of the Agricultural Growth Strategy, which will guide the municipality’s work in agriculture, as this is a key job-creating sector in Midvaal.
The DA welcomes this message of progress from the Mayor of Midvaal. We look forward to seeing this beacon of DA delivery flourish in the years to come through delivering services and enabling job creation.
Media Enquiries
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Leader
082 960 3743
Anneke Scheepers
DA Gauteng Communications Manager
079 511 7501
DA condemns ANC’s violent attack at Joburg IDP meeting
Members of the ANC violently attacked a meeting about the Joburg Integrated Development Plan (IDP) which was held at Midrand High School last night. The DA condemns the incident in the strongest terms and calls on the ANC leadership to call its members to order. The DA also encourages the City of Johannesburg to lay criminal charges against the culprits.
Paul Mashatile must immediately act against the ANC members who arrived with bricks and weapons to attack those who attended the meeting. This is nothing short of an attack on democracy in action.
The ANC has no right to prevent the people of Joburg from attending public meetings, where they are consulted about the City’s development planning. The ANC has been voted out of office and must allow the business of government to continue.
Photographs taken at the scene reveal bloodied floors and displaced furniture. The DA has been informed that the disruption was premeditated. It is unacceptable that people who want to improve the state of Johannesburg are subject to violent attack. It seems as though the ANC is doing all it can to derail the work of the City of Joburg.
The ANC must come to terms with the reality that it failed to govern adequately in the City of Johannesburg and that the people have spoken. The DA will not be deterred by violence and thuggery. We will continue to make every effort to make progress in Joburg. We will also continue to do so in a manner that is inclusive and open.
Media Enquiries
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Leader
082 960 3743
Anneke Scheepers
DA Gauteng Communications Manager
079 511 7501
The people are speaking: Jacob Zuma must go
Today’s National Day of Action is a statement of unity and intent, across political lines. South Africa is resolute and united that Jacob Zuma cannot continue on as our President.
South Africans from all walks of life, all religions, all creeds, all races are here today united in a common cause. This a movement of the people and this is an expression of the People’s Power.
This march comes just 5 days after tens of thousands of South Africans came out last Friday to march through the major cities of our country. Our movement against Jacob Zuma grows ever-stronger daily.
We are here because we love South Africa, to save South Africa from the kleptocracy that is the hallmark of President Jacob Zuma’s leadership.
No more shall we tolerate the abuse of power, the disregard for the rule of law and the repeated violations of the constitution.
No more shall we tolerate the capture of our state by the Zuma and the Gupta families.
No more shall we tolerate the stealing of our money, like at Nkandla, to enrich one man.
We have witnessed outright corruption and theft.
We have seen the connected few get rich, while everyone else gets poorer.
And now our country has been downgraded to “Junk Status” because of Zuma’s recklessness.
Tragically the poorest in our society will bear the real brunt of “junk status”
But it is Zuma who is the “Junk Status” of our nation.
Our country and our people are strong, our President is weak and “Junk”.
He has broken down our institutions, undermined Parliament, captured the prosecution service, weakened Police leadership – all to avoid accountability.
He has bankrupted our state companies, caused millions to lose their jobs, and is set to bankrupt our nation with a nuclear deal we can’t afford.
And now, in the face of all he has done wrong, Zuma wants to point the finger at those who bravely protest against him.
But we will not be divided, and we will not allow Zuma to dictate our motives.
We are a diverse movement of people who care about the future of our country. Do not paint us as anything but patriots, Mr President!
The ANC has tried to intimidate and threaten these marches, but they have not succeeded.
The ANC has threatened our peaceful marches and gatherings with violence, and the ANC has attacked and assaulted marchers. But we are undeterred by the ANC thuggery to protect Jacob Zuma.
Today’s march shows that threats of arrest or attack cannot stop a movement of people committed to bringing down a broken President.
Today’s march is not a once-off, but it continues as our rolling mass action gains momentum around the country. We invite more and more South Africans to continue to join us in this cause.
This march will symbolically continue on to Parliament when the National Assembly will vote in a Motion of No Confidence in Jacob Zuma.
Parliament hired Jacob Zuma, and now Parliament must fire Jacob Zuma. And only the ANC is standing in the way of Parliament firing Jacob Zuma.
After the 2016 Elections where the ANC suffered stunning defeats, and it began speaking about “humbling itself and listening”, it has the chance now to humble itself and listen. The people are speaking: Jacob Zuma must go.
When the day comes for the vote of no confidence in the National Assembly, every ANC Member of Parliament can and must vote with their conscience to remove Jacob Zuma.
It is time that our country and its beautiful people stop Jacob Zuma and his cronies from looting any more. NO more, we say, no more!
The people are speaking: Jacob Zuma must go.
Media Enquiries
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Provincial Leader
082 960 3743
Yaseen Carelse
Media and Issues Specialist
076 721 8613
ANC thugs attack peaceful DA protestor
The DA today led a peaceful and lawful march of over 20,000 people through the Johannesburg CBD, uniting people from all sectors in opposition to the reckless Jacob Zuma.
The clear message from the thousands at our March for Change was that it is time for the ANC to act against Jacob Zuma.
After our peaceful march, a DA supporter was violently attacked by ANC thugs. The DA strongly condemns the violence by ANC thugs who attacked this DA supporter.
We have long held that the ANC uses intimidation and bullying tactics towards those who disagree with them, and their tactics of intimidation and war talk, in the run up to today’s March for Change have now had consequences.
There is no place for violence in our democratic society. The constitution provides all South Africans with the right to peacefully march and protest.
The ANC has once again shown that it disregards the constitution and the rights enshrined therein.
It is our hope that those who perpetrated violence this morning will be brought to book. We expect a thorough investigation from the SAPS.
The DA will not be deterred by thuggery and the moral bankruptcy of Zuma’s ANC.
The #MarchForChange has only just begun.
Media Enquiries:
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Leader
082 960 3743
Yaseen Carelse
DA Gauteng Leader
076 721 8613
DA meeting in Midvaal violently disrupted
The Democratic Alliance held a community meeting for Ward 13 in the NG Kerk Oos, Riversdal last night where the Mayor Of Midvaal, Councillor Bongani Baloyi was to address the community regarding progress in Midvaal achieved so far, and to share our vision for Midvaal for the next five years.
Last night our meeting was violently interrupted by members of the Freedom Front Plus. These FF+ members came to intimidate Mayor Baloyi and fellow DA members from delivering our message to the community. The DA condemns these desperate antics by the FF+ as symptomatic of the proverbial ‘dying horse’.
We will open cases with the South African Police Services (SAPS) against the identified FF+ members who violently disrupted the meeting last night. We will also write to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to investigate this political intolerance to prevent another incident like this in Midvaal.
Midvaal has worked since 2001, when the municipality was taken over by the DA. Midvaal has since risen to be the best performing municipality in Gauteng by all government indices. It is a municipality known for good governance, sound management of public funds, and the ongoing quest to level the playing fields with the limited resources that we have available to us.
The DA brand is built on our bedrock values of Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity. The DA-run Midvaal municipality is delivering on these values and no political party will ever disrupt this.
Media enquiries:
MPL John Moodey
DA Gauteng Provincial Leader
082 960 3743
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Budget Vote Speeches: Office of the Premier
Speech by
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Leader
“Premier needs to slay Goliath of greed, corruption and mismanagement”
Speech highlights:
- Gauteng is plagued by the triple threat of poverty, unemployment and inequality
- However, the threat to effective governance is corruption, maladministration and non-accountability by a severely under skilled and unprofessional public service
- Gauteng’s citizens need a responsive government that effectively deals with health care, crime, drugs, gangsterism and youth unemployment
- Life in townships has improved dramatically, but all those gains are lost through municipalities unable to deliver quality basic services and maintenance of infrastructure
- Municipal service delivery will not improve by creating larger and more cumbersome metros, as other legislative means need to be exhausted before considering such steps
- Provincial government must settle its debt to local municipalities as it drastically reduces their income and ability to deliver services
- Households are under increasing pressure as the insistence to continue with e-tolls and above inflation increases in fuel, municipal services and electricity are driving up commodity prices.
- While the premier has noble intentions to improve the quality of life of Gauteng’s residents, he first has to undo 21 years of slow, cumbersome and ineffective government.
The full speech can be obtained here.
Speech by
Jack Bloom
DA Gauteng Spokesperson for the Office of the Premier
“Gauteng requires total make-over”
Speech highlights:
- A relatively small item in the Premier’s Office budget is R6 million for the continuation of Gauteng TV, a project started by former premier Nomvula Mokonyane which has already cost R6 million.
- I said last year that it was an obvious waste of money and should be canned immediately before it cost us any more money.
- Investigation by the Oversight Committee has proved my point, and your office is now trying to justify why any part of this project should continue.
- This sort of thing is rife throughout the provincial government, with billions of rand wasted because of incompetence and corruption.
The full speech can be obtained here.
Speech by
Justus de Goede
DA Gauteng Spokesperson for the Office of the Premier
“Premier’s hard task to restore tarnished government image”
Speech Highlights:
- Satisfaction with the Provincial government has steadily eroded to the extent that only 40% of residents are satisfied with the Provincial administration, while satisfaction at a municipal level ranged between a mere 24 % and 42%.
- Premier Makhura will point out that his own strategy for the fifth term of the Legislature has only been running for a year and that the next GCRO survey will show improvement in the government’s performance – but trust between the administration and the governed has been badly, if not irreparably damaged, and urgently needs close attention.
- As the gap widens between government and residents, the Premier cannot afford to make idle promises – these must be actioned or they will be nothing more than ideas of fancy.
The full speech can be obtained here.
Media enquiries:
John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Provincial Leader
082 960 3743
Jack Bloom MPL
DA Gauteng Spokesperson: Office of the Premier
082 333 4222
Justus de Goede MPL
DA Gauteng Spokesperson: Office of the Premier
060 558 8305
John Moodey to Present the True State of Ekurhuleni Metro
This morning DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, DA Ekurhuleni Caucus Leader, Cllr Fortune Mahano and DA Ekurhuleni caucus members will brief the media over the true state of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality.
The briefing will take place outside the Wanneburg Clinic in the informal settlement of Makause near Primrose, Germiston, where the DA will present its policy alternatives in the run up to Executive Mayor Mondli Gungubele’s State of the City Address on Wednesday.
Date: Monday, 23 March 2015
Time: 09:30
Venue: Wanneburg Clinic, Pretoria Road, (between Bus and Mimosa Roads) Primrose
Click here to view map.
There will be ample opportunity for interviews and photographs. Members of the media are welcome to attend.
Media enquiries:
Cllr Fortune Mahano
DA Ekurhuleni Caucus Leader
072 451 2645
Angela Barnes
DA Media Liaison – Ekurhuleni Caucus
083 701 9972
John Moodey to Present the True State of Ekurhuleni Metro
True State of Ekurhuleni
Tomorrow, Monday 23 March 2015, DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, DA Ekurhuleni caucus leader, Cllr Fortune Mahano and DA Ekurhuleni caucus members will brief the media over the true state of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality.
The briefing will take place outside the Wanneburg Clinic in the informal settlement of Makause near Primrose, Germiston, where the DA will present its policy alternatives in the run up to Executive Mayor Mondli Gungubele’s State of the City Address on Wednesday.
Event Details
Date: Monday, 23 March 2015
Time: 09:30
Venue: Wanneburg Clinic, Pretoria Road, (between Bus and Mimosa Roads) Primrose
Click here to view map.
There will be ample opportunity for interviews and photographs. Members of the media are welcome to attend.
Media enquiries:
Cllr Fortune Mahano
DA Ekurhuleni Caucus Leader
072 451 2645
Angela Barnes
DA Media Liaison – Ekurhuleni Caucus
083 701 9972