“Lame Duck” Didiza will bring more of the same

24 June 2016

After hiding from the residents of Tshwane for the past 4 days while the city burned, it appears that Thoko Didiza has made her first appearance in Tshwane this morning, and we welcome her to the City.

Didiza was joined on the ground by outgoing Mayor Ramogkopa, who she praised yesterday for the job he had done and pledged to “build on the work of those who have come before [me].”

To the people of Tshwane this means Didiza is committing to building on a record of rising unemployment, endemic corruption, inadequate service delivery and rampant crime. 

Her belief that Sputla has done a good job shows that she clearly does not understand the problems facing the people of Tshwane.

Didiza is a lame duck candidate who has been deployed to Tshwane by President Zuma to bring more of the same. She will not be able to unite the severely divided ANC local structures in the Capital and will not bring the change we need to move the City forward. 

Didiza’s endorsement of Sputla is the clearest indication yet that should Didiza become mayor, she would only pick up where Sputla left off and deliver more of the same – the same broken promises and the same failures to prioritise the needs of the people of Tshwane.

Didiza’s voting record in Parliament shows that she will not challenge the status quo of patronage and corruption endemic to the ANC. She voted to let President Zuma off the hook for Nkandla, and she voted to protect Jacob Zuma from a motion of impeachment after he was found to have violated the Constitution by the Constitutional Court.

Didiza is a protector and defender of Jacob Zuma, and she would only continue to do his bidding in Tshwane.

The people of Tshwane need real change in order to move forward again. I have spent 294 days traveling around my home City hearing from the people how the ANC have failed them.

I met with people who make up the 517 000 residents of Tshwane who are unemployed or have given up hope of finding a job would not agree with her.

I have seen the effect of the R1.88 billion that was lost to unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, which could have been used to create jobs and deliver better services.

I have met with the people of Mamelodi, Hammanskraal and Pienaarspoort, who were promised houses by the ANC but today continue to live in shacks. And the people of Atteridgeville, Kungwini and Eersterust, where gangsterism and drug use fuels a vicious cycle of crime and violence.

These residents would not agree with Didiza that all is well in the Capital. These facts all point to an ANC government that has failed the people of the Capital City and under Didiza they will continue to fail them. 

The latest Independent polling conducted by IPSOS shows the DA can win Tshwane as we lead the ANC by 9 points. Only the DA can bring the change that Tshwane needs to make progress.

The DA needs the support of each and every voter to make this City great. Together we can bring change to Tshwane.

Issued by Motheo Mtimkulu, Media Manager, Tshwane Mayoral Campaign, 24 June 2016