We have made progress in Midvaal, but it is not yet complete
11 July 2016
Six weeks ago, I stood here in Sicelo as the DA launched its manifesto for the Local Government Elections in Midvaal Municipality.
Back then, I spoke of how Midvaal is the DA’s foot in the door here in Gauteng – how we will use it to barge open the door to the rest of the province. And I can tell you today that we are well on our way to achieving this.
We are now just three weeks away from the elections, and I am more positive than ever before about the DA’s chances at not only strengthening its position here in Midvaal, but also extending this success to the other big metros of Gauteng.
Many people in Gauteng have seen a side of the ANC in recent weeks that they don’t like. I am talking about the party’s internal battles that have left large areas of Tshwane in flames. Since then we have seen similar ANC violence spread to other cities across the country.
This is not what South Africans want. They don’t want their cities to burn. They don’t want their shops to be looted. They don’t want their streets turned into war zones.
Most South Africans want peace and a chance to make a better life for themselves. And they want a government that will help them achieve this. A government that will provide the basic services they promised to deliver, a government that will create jobs and a government that will help keep them safe.
This municipality of Midvaal has such a government in the DA, which is why Midvaal stands head and shoulders above the rest of Gauteng when it comes to both basic services and job creation.
The unemployment rate here in Midvaal is half what it is in the rest of Gauteng, and the people of Midvaal have the highest access to water, electricity and sanitation in the province. The DA has already done more for this municipality than the ANC ever could.
But I’d like to tell you today that this is still not enough. Because as long as there are communities in Midvaal where people struggle to get by, where the young people can’t find work and where the residents face hardship in their day-to-day living, then we still have much work to do.
Where we govern, we have a huge responsibility to ensure that everyone benefits from a clean and efficient DA government. Our country’s brutal history has left scars of poverty and inequality in many communities, including those in DA-run areas. And it is in these areas that we must focus most of our attention.
There are those wearing berets and those wearing yellow who have come here to tell all manner of lies about how the DA has not delivered or that the DA is racist, the reality is that we have done more to better the lives of the people of Midvaal than any party before, and there’s no party that can do better.
While they mobilise on the basis of race, we mobilise on the basis of building a better South Africa for all. A South Africa where jobs are created, a stranglehold is placed on corruption and better services are delivered.
So when I visit an area like Sicelo, I am reminded of why we do what we do. I am reminded that our work is still far from done.
But I am also reminded of what a valuable ally you have in Mayor Bongani Baloyi and the government he leads here. Because if there is one man who is committed to improving the lives of everyone who lives in his municipality, it is Mayor Baloyi.
He has made areas such as Sicelo and Lakeside a priority, and many of the DA projects here in Sicelo are already bearing fruit. This multi-purpose centre with its library, community hall and open-air gym, is just one example, as is the network of roads built in this area.
Another important investment by the DA-run Midvaal municipality has been the roll-out of Early Childhood Development centres across the municipality. It is so important that children from disadvantaged areas do not start out having to play catch-up at school, and these centres play a crucial role in preparing them for the formal education system.
Mayor Baloyi also kept his promise to residents here by resolving Lakeside’s water supply, and the Sicelo Reservoir project is also well underway. Going forward, this reservoir project, along with the sewer upgrades, road construction and connection to bulk services, will change the way many people live in this area.
And that is my message to you today: We will not stop until everyone in this municipality has experienced the DA difference.
But to do this, we are going to need your help and your support. We are going to need you to put your faith in another five years of DA government here in Midvaal.
The best thing you can do for yourselves, your families and your community is to help keep Midvaal DA.
Ke a leboga!
I thank you!
Issued by Mabine Seabe, Spokesperson to the DA Leader, 11 July 2016
