The is DA committed to bring change to the lives of Gauteng’s residents

3 September 2018

Fellow South Africans, People of Gauteng,

I am proud to stand before you today as the DA’s Gauteng Premier Candidate.

We stand resolute in the face of adversity. This week the coalition of corruption, the ANC and the EFF tried to take the power away from the people of Tshwane.

They tried to sneak in through the back door and undermine the good work that has been done to change the lives of our people.

The work to change the lives of our people has now begun in earnest. We are committed to serve the people of Gauteng, just as I have done for the people of Tshwane.

I am proud to be associated with a party that has offered me an opportunity to change the fortunes of the 13 million people of this province.

Turning the tide on the rot that has swept through Gauteng is and will always be at the heart of the work that we do. We are a party of humble servants who do not seek self-enrichment. Our enrichment is derived from putting people first.

We have started to bring change to the municipalities where we govern and now stand at the forefront of bringing this change to all of Gauteng’s people.

As a young man growing up in a shack in Atteridgeville, I know first-hand the challenges faced by millions of our people who continue to remain locked out of opportunities, neglected by the governing ANC that puts itself before the people whom it is meant to serve.

The disregard for our people, our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters spurred me to action.

The DA is committed to:

- The DA will fight corruption to ensure that all public money is spent on the people of Gauteng;

- The DA will fix the South African Police Service to become an honest and professional organisation that actually serves and protects the people of Gauteng;

- The DA will create fair access to real and long-term jobs for the people of Gauteng;

- The DA will fight the scourge of drug abuse; and

- The DA will speed up the delivery of basic services.

The time has come for the people of Gauteng to be served by a government that puts their interests first.

Building a better future for the people of Gauteng means some changes need to be made. That starts with voting for the changes you want.

Just like the change that has been brought to the people of Midvaal, Tshwane and Johannesburg –together we can make the economic heart of South Africa beat once more and put the people of Gauteng first.

The DA has started to clean out the rot that we inherited in those governments and with a limited mandate, started to speed up service delivery to the people we were elected to serve. We have demonstrated our ability to govern well.

Should the DA become the biggest party in Gauteng, we will continue with the work we have started to improve the lives of our people.

A vote for the ANC is a vote for more empty promises. It doesn’t matter who leads them, they’re the same old party and they’ve had too many second chances.

We must not reward ANC failure with our votes because nothing will change.

This election is about your future, about Gauteng’s future, not the ANC’s.

Use your vote to ensure a better future for Gauteng because only the DA can bring change that builds a better future for Gauteng.

Issued by Solly Msimanga, DA Gauteng Premier Candidate, 3 September 2018