Mashaba Apologises for Social Media Post, Not for Protecting the Residents

14 November 2018

On Monday, I intervened with an informal trader I witnessed transporting raw meat on the streets of the inner city, without observing the legal requirements for handling and transporting such food products.

The meat was exposed in transit and posed a potential health risk to those residents who would have consumed it.

I apologise most sincerely to our residents for my comments relating to the meat also presenting a potential risk of an ebola outbreak.

I also apologise for what has appeared to be insensitivity towards the plight of informal traders in our City, attempting to earn a living.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can appreciate how my comment offended people with its insensitivity.

It was never my intention for the comments to be construed as an attack on any person or group – informal traders or our foreign residents.

I am not above making a mistake and, when I err, I am willing to humble myself and apologise unreservedly to our residents.

I have asked that our teams of Health Inspectors are on the ground in the inner city to work with informal and formal traders to understand the safety standards of the City and why they are so important.

My reaction was borne out of a situation in which so many of our residents lack access to quality health care and are vulnerable to the kind of outbreaks that can arise from improper treatment of food. This is true in both the formal and informal economy. Our healthcare facilities throughout the City are already stretched to the limit, and an outbreak would be disastrous for our residents.

However, for my commitment and focus on the enforcement of by-laws in our City and the need to proactively protect the wellbeing of our residents, I remain resolute and unapologetic.

As a City we have to be proactive in preventing breakouts of disease, knowing how the poorest in our City are the most vulnerable in this regard. Access to quality healthcare is not a right enjoyed by all in our City, and many residents are susceptible. Our healthcare facilities throughout the City are stretched to the limits, even with our extended hours of operation at various clinics. 

To address this the multi-party government has moved towards procuring mobile clinics for each of the seven regions to ensure access to healthcare to those most vulnerable in our City.

Similarly, the breakdown of the rule of law that took place has hampered our economy and the prospects of creating jobs in Johannesburg.

No country or city has succeeded in growing its economy when there is no adherence to a rule of law. Our efforts in expanding the JMPD and multi-disciplinary law enforcement operations are geared towards addressing exactly this. For our City to succeed, no law or by-law can be deemed too minor to be respected because we have to get the basics right.

The work of the multi-party government speaks for itself in this regard through our launch of Opportunity Centres throughout the City. These Opportunity Centres are geared towards providing the training and support to any small business owner to grow their business and meet compliance and safety levels.

Informal traders play a crucial role within the South African economy and allow many of our poorest residents with access to a livelihood in an economic environment where jobs are scarce.

This is why, for the first time, the City has budgeted R25 million in the 2018/2019 financial year to construct informal trading facilities in the inner city providing them a space to grow their businesses.

Within the City of Johannesburg, just over 900 000 people are unemployed.

If we are to address this unemployment, we must create an environment which supports small entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. This includes supporting efforts to assist those residents within the informal trading sector, who form a critical component of our plans.

The City is committed to working with the informal sector to create jobs and improve the lives of our residents.

For the insensitivity of my remarks about ebola, I apologise unreservedly to those who my remarks have offended.

For my dedication to safeguarding the health of our residents and the rule of law in our City, I can never apologise because this was the change demanded by our residents in 2016.

Issued by Luyanda Mfeka, Director: Mayoral Communications, Office of the Executive Mayor, 14 November 2018