ATA vowed to scrap e-tolls and get rid of slavery type National Students Financial Aid Scheme

ALEXANDRA – 'The suffering of the people in Alexandra Is caused by corrupt City officials and greedy leaders who only think for themselves.'

Mxolisi Khumalo, ATA students movement leader, at the Tshwane University of Technology. Photo: Nduduzo Nxumalo.

A newly formed political party Alliance for Transformation for All (ATA) has vowed to scrap e-tolls and get rid of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme which the party described as ‘financial slavery for poor students’.

ATA, which was formed in September last year and claims to represent the interests of taxi owners, taxi drivers and street vendors, has appealed to the people of Alexandra to consider voting it into government if they want real change in their lives.

Speaking to hundreds of people gathered in Sankopano Community Hall, the provincial chairperson of the party Jabulani Ntshangase said his party which would be contesting elections in all nine provinces, would ensure that neglected communities were given priority. Ntshangase promised that his party would ensure that taxi operators and street vendors received a subsidy from the government similar to the subsidy bus company Putco received.

He added that his party would ensure the impounding of taxis, arrests of taxi drivers and harassment of street vendors by Metro police would be a thing of the past once they took over government.

Jabulani Ntshangase, provincial leader of ATA, addresses people in Sankopano Community Centre in Alex. Photo: Nduduzo Nxumalo.

“Our cars are impounded almost every day,” he claimed. “When the government is running out of cash in their fancy offices, the only way to generate cash is to impound our cars. As ATA, we are going to scrap e-tolls and Bus Rapid Transport and divert that money to taxi operators to buy new taxis. We will get rid of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and introduce a free education scheme.”

Members of ATA attend an election campaign rally at Sankopano Community Centre in Alexandra. Photo: Nduduzo Nxumalo.

Ntshangase also took a swipe at the Democratic Alliance and the African National Congress for failing the people of Alexandra when it came to service delivery. He alleged that the suffering of the people in Alexandra was because of corrupt City officials and greedy leaders who only thought of themselves.

He promised the residents of Alexandra better service delivery and said the time for being loyal to political parties that did not care for its people had reached its expiry date.

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