DA restored my dignity - Nelson Mandela Bay resident

19 July 2016

Port Elizabeth – A Nelson Mandela Bay woman has praised the DA for restoring her dignity after the party gave her a new roof.

Walmer Township’s Lukelwa Jack welcomed party leader Mmusi Maimane, mayoral candidate Athol Trollip, MPs and other leaders into her home on Tuesday.

Maimane was in town to launch their "Cities Delivering Better Services" document.

Jack, 43, said her house had been leaking for years, and politicians had promised to fix it every time they visited the area.

But it was only when the DA knocked on her door that she saw the promise fulfilled, she said.

"I was surprised when the DA told me they were going to fix my roof. I have been praying and praying for something like this to happen, and it finally has. I cried because I have been asking for 15 years," she said.

Her parents had died waiting for change in Nelson Mandela Bay, she said.

She has always been a staunch supporter of the ANC, she said, but now she was a firm believer in the DA.

"I am DA, no questions about it. They helped me when I needed them, and I will return the favour and vote for them. A person can only stay where they are happy, and they have made me happy," she said.

'Broken roads, broken roofs, and broken promises'

Trollip said that when they had first seen the roof, it looked as if it was riddled with bullet holes. And nothing but a complete overhaul of the roof would have helped, he said.

Maimane said it seemed as if the ANC had abandoned the residents of Walmer Township. "Wherever I look, I see broken roads, broken roofs, and broken promises."

He said the struggle of living in a house that flooded when it rained was common for too many South Africans.

"Throughout this campaign, I’ve seen and met South Africans without proper roofs, without water and electricity, without rubbish collection, without the quality services that make life so much easier."

Introducing the document, he said the message was simple.

"The DA, wherever we govern, will deliver where the ANC has failed. We cannot expect communities to develop and our economy to grow if government does not meet its basic responsibilities."

He said they did not make empty promises.

"We have made the upgrade of informal settlements and backyard dwellings our top priority. We’re also committed to ensuring that every homeowner has a title deed for their home."

This article first appeared on News24, see here.