Vote out the ANC that has brought Tshwane to its knees

21 June 2016

Fellow South Africans,

Over the past couple of days we have seen ANC factionalism and violence tear this City apart after President Zuma and Luthuli House imposed an outsider, Thoko Didiza, on the City to try and undo the damage done by Sputla’s ANC government.

As a result, communities like this one have descended into chaos as the ANC’s internal battles have spilled onto our streets. 

The violent scenes in Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Soshanguve and Hammanskraal last night attest to the fact that the ANC in Tshwane is today more divided than ever before.

Last night I witnessed first-hand how ANC supporters went on a rampage against Zuma’s decision, torching busses and destroying property. I saw the destruction and chaos they left in their wake.

These are the actions of a party that has presided over the decline of the Capital and now they want to bring in an outsider, someone who does not know this City or its people, to try and clean it up.

But as Tshwane burns, the President at the root of this violence, and the outsider he deployed to this City, have remained silent.

Didiza’s first act as mayoral candidate has been to go into hiding, making no attempts to engage with those she has been tipped to govern.

These are the actions of a dishonest ANC government who would rather see this City burn than take responsibility for a situation that is of their making.

Fellow South Africans,

The events of the past days have demonstrated more than ever why we need change to come to Tshwane.

291 days ago I stood before you outside the Tshwane City Hall and made a promise to the people of this City that if elected, I will bring change to the Capital.

Today I stand before you, outside my childhood home, to reiterate that promise to you.

I am a proud son of Tshwane; a product of this community.

I grew up in these streets, raised by my mother, who struggled to provide for us under a system that was not fair.

She made sure that my siblings and I we went to school and I graduated from Saulridge Secondary School, not far from here, after which I studied at the former Vista University, which would later become part of the University of Pretoria.

Today I still call this City my home and as a proud father of two children I want to see it able to give them the opportunities they deserve.

I am sharing this story with you because growing up in this community has made me the man I am today – a man of this City.

But today I stand in this community ashamed of what it has become under the ANC.

Over the past 291 days I have travelled the length and breadth of this vast metro.

I have met with thousands of its residents, hard working men and women who desire nothing other than to pursue a life of value in a safe community.

These are the people I grew up alongside, but many of them have not been as fortunate as I have or had the opportunities that I did.

The ANC that promised a better life for all at the dawn of our democracy has only delivered a better life for some.

I think of the people of Mamelodi, Hammanskraal and Pienaarspoort, who were promised houses by the ANC but today continue to live in shacks.

I think of the people of Atteridgeville, Kungwini and Eersterust, where gangsterism and drug use fuels a vicious cycle of crime and violence.

I think of the people of Nokeng, Ga-Rankuwa and Soshanguve who struggle without jobs as unemployment continues to rise. Meanwhile EPWP jobs are unfairly reserved for ANC card-carrying members or the friends and family of ANC councillors.

And now the government that failed to deliver a better life for the residents of Tshwane has delivered chaos and violence that is tearing our communities apart.

An outsider imposed by Zuma will not solve this problem; an outsider imposed by Zuma is at the root of this problem.

It is time to put the future of Tshwane first and put the factionalism inherent to the ANC behind us.

It is time to elect an honest and responsive DA government that will not cower in silence when the safety and security of the people of Tshwane is compromised.

Today I make a pledge to this City and its people that as mayor I will be at the frontlines of service delivery and job creation.

I will work tirelessly to rid this City of corruption and self-serving councillors who have brought this City to its knees.

I will not be an outsider looking in, but on the ground among my people, the people of Tshwane.

I will bring the change to this City that its people deserve.

On August 3 the people of Tshwane have a choice between voting for more of the same decay that we have seen in this City, or voting for change.

Together we can win this metro and make it great.

Issued by Motheo Mtimkulu, Media Manager, Tshwane Mayoral Campaign, 21 June 2016