The ANC Chief Whip Clr Jongizizwe Dlabathi says the Ekurhuleni ANC caucus welcomes the State of the City Address delivered by the mayor at the Germiston Council Chambers.
Dlabathi says the address by the Executive Mayor is in line with the Ekurhuleni ANC’s localised manifesto and developmental trajectory of the City.
“We welcome the posture taken by the City to preserve and share our history as we observe 100 years since the birth of O.R. Tambo.
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“The decision to install the 9m bronze statue at the OR Tambo International Airport in October 2017 is a fitting tribute and recognition of the icon Oliver Tambo.
“We welcome the initiative by the City to engage with national and provincial road authorities and the public at large for the re-naming of key interchanges on the N3, the N12, the N17, R21 and R24 freeways after those heroes and heroines of our struggle,” he says.
Dlabathi says the party is also impressed that the mayor has noted the call from residents regarding tariffs.
“The no increase on tariffs is an indication that this government listens and is pro-poor.
“The City will continue to provide free basic services to the indigent residents, mainly water and sanitation, free basic electricity, and waste removal.
“He unleashed new hope for the residents of Ekurhuleni, which entails the Economic 10 Point Plan with an estimated R12 billion to be injected into the City’s economy,” Dlabathi says.
The DA leader, Clr Ghaleb Cachalia, says they are dismayed at the levels of unemployment and poverty in Ekurhuleni.
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“There are 119 informal settlements and an unemployment rate of 28.8 per cent – it is no wonder that the people of Ekurhuleni are hopeless and in need of change.
“The Mayor and his ‘blesser brigade’ are more interested in their collections of Louis Vuitton shoes and fine French cognacs than in delivering services to the people of Ekurhuleni.
“Where is the pro-poor approach to governing?
“The Mayor doesn’t care about the poor. This is not a caring government – a caring government would have put its peoples’ interests first and prioritised their access to services,” he says.
