Government not delivering in Alex – DA

Democratic Alliance MP for the Sandton-Alex constituency, Ian Ollis said government lacked managerial skills and the capacity to prioritise and implement sustainable development programmes.

Addressing the media, Ollis said this in reference to the ongoing paving and upgrading of some of the roads in the area. “Government is replacing paving which wasn’t faulty with new [paving], instead of implementing comprehensive programmes that address major challenges like the health hazards from rat infestation and the bucket toilet system.”

He added that there was a lack of development prioritisation and legislative frameworks to ensure comprehensive consultations with residents to enable the authorities to identify the real development needs in these areas. Resources spent on paving and other unnecessary programmes should be channeled to housing which was another core need, he said.

He concurred with the city council’s plans for high-rise buildings to address the housing crisis, but only if the structures were limited to four storeys to avoid huge costs of maintaining anything higher. However, he foresees the city council failing to implement this high-rise project as it was delaying the process of negotiating a fair price with land and property owners. Land claims lodged with the Land Claims Commission remain unresolved for many years.

Ollis was also critical of the education provided in Alex schools. “The lowest performing three of the five secondary schools, Realogile, Eastbank and Minerva achieved between 59 and 64 percent compared to nearby Sandtonview High in Wynberg which achieved 95 percent with mostly students from Alex. The difference is the quality, motivation and commitment from teachers,” he said.

Details: Email; ianollis@lantic.net