Called upon to serve, Cllr Ald. Campbell led with dedication to get Ekurhuleni back on track

30 March 2023

The DA in Gauteng expresses our gratitude to Cllr Ald. Tania Campbell, now Leader of the Opposition in the Ekurhuleni City Council, and congratulates her on the achievements of the Multi-Party Coalition government she led since the 2021 Local Government Elections.

A motion of no confidence in Ekurhuleni's Multi-Party Coalition government, brought opportunistically by the ANC-EFF coalition of corruption and its minor puppet parties, was passed earlier today, 126 votes to 91.

The Multi-Party Coalition government, led by Cllr Ald. Campbell in its efforts to turn the tide of decades of failure and neglect, prioritised throughout its time in office solutions to loadshedding, services delivery, and the eradication of corruption within the city.

Contracts with 47 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were signed, 26 solar IPPs initiated, as well as several gas-based energy projects. Upon completion, these initiatives will add 358 Mega Watts of electricity by 2024, R6.5 billion worth of investment, and will lead to the creation of 2 500 job opportunities.

The Multi-Party Coalition government also focused on providing access to basic services such as water and electricity to households from the most socio-economically vulnerable. Illegal connections and tampered and bypassed meters were removed, and almost 6km of new pipelines were laid to ensure access to water.

Under the Multi-Party Coalition government, 70km of Ekurhuleni roads were rehabilitated. Over 500 square meters of potholes were filled and the pothole backlog of the City significantly reduced.

To avoid a fiscal cliff that would have seen the poor suffering the most, the Multi-Party Coalition government implemented effective and necessary measures that prevented the fiscal collapse of Ekurhuleni.

In vital mitigation of the effects on the poorest of the fiscal restraint measures required by the national government, an extensive Debt Rehabilitation and Reward Incentive Scheme to provide immediate reprieve to residents was initiated, resulting in a financial commitment of over R30 million.

The DA in Gauteng thanks Cllr Ald. Campbell for her dedication and service to the residents of Ekurhuleni and echoes the gratitude she expressed to the Multi-Party Coalition and administrative officials who sought to serve the people of Ekurhuleni despite the enormity of the challenges of dealing with decades of failure.

Whether from government, fighting for service delivery against a politicised civil service, or from the opposition benches in Council, fighting for the residents of Ekurhuleni, the DA’s commitment to getting the City of Ekurhuleni back on track will not flag.

Issued by Fred Nel, DA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, 30 March 2023