The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the Northern Cape is shocked but not disappointed at the levels of undermining and disrespect of the people of the Northern Cape and particularly Kimberley by the Congress of the People.

The appointment of Pakes Dikgetsi as a Mayoral candidate for Sol Plaatjie Municipality is an insult to the people of the Sol Plaatjie Municipal area.  This is the man who built the uninhabitable houses of Soul City with no streets and no electricity during his tenure as MEC for local government and housing.

The people of Leratong Park are still living in conditions of squalor because Mr Dikgetsi delayed the development of Leratong Park for no reason.  In Pampierstad toilets were built in an open veld and there were no houses built next to them.

Those toilets are still standing in the veld with the bulk of them being vandalised because they mean nothing to the community of Pampierstad.

There are many housing challenges that failed during his tenure due to negligence and corruption on that he never acted on as an MEC.

As we speak the government of the ANC is hard at work trying to fix and clean the mess that was caused by Pakes Dikgetsi during his tenure as MEC for Housing and Local Government.  The fitting of bulk infrastructure in Leratong Park is under way poor people who cannot afford electricity have Solar water geysers, thanks to the ANC government for such concrete achievements.

People of Soul city are walking on paved streets as a result of the commitment of the ANC government.   Their houses are part of those that have been identified as shoddy work and the ANC government is in the process of repairing those houses and make them suitable for people to live.

The big question is whether the people of Kimberley are ready to be insulted by being given a person with a clear track record of failing them where it matters most, in local government.

We call on all the people of Kimberley and the Northern Cape to ensure that they vote for the ANC on 18 May 2011 for accelerated service delivery.  The ANC has a track record of working very hard to improve the lives of the ordinary people, especially after the departure of the people like Dikgetsi who blatantly undermined the people by slowing down service delivery.

Statement issued by the COSATU Northern Cape Provincial Secretary, Anele Gxoyiya, May 3 2011

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