DA mayoral candidate an Edenvale resident
"I grew up with them, so of course they had an impact on my life."
Edenvale resident and DA mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni, Mr Ghaleb Cachalia describes himself as “a man born into a family, whose bread and butter was politics.”
The mayoral candidate said he was inspired by the struggle stalwarts and through his parents, he was able to interact with individuals such as the late former President Nelson Mandela.
“Through my family’s interaction with the political stalwarts, I gained values and a set of beliefs which I have not lost over the years,” he said.
“I grew up knowing who Nelson Mandela is, so of course he had an impact on my life.”
Mr Cachalia went to school at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa (UWCSA), a well known school in Swaziland. After being there for three years, “The government started messing with my passport,” he said.
He said his father suggested that he go on holiday to England and then apply for his passport from there.
By doing this, he was given a choice. If the passport was granted, he could study again at UWCSA and if not, he would finish his schooling career in England, which is what happened.
After finishing school, Mr Cachalia attended London University where he majored in African history.
Again, he tried to get his passport, throughout the decade of the 70s, but to no avail. However, in 1979 Mr Cachalia was granted a passport valid for six months, which was the results of Helen Suzman’s intervention who he says, “took up my cause”.
In his early twenties, Mr Cachalia attached himself to the University of the Witwatersrand to do postgraduate studies.
He then worked as a journalist at Capital Radio. He wanted to study a law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand, however he never completed it.
“It was a hectic political time and I was involved in student politics.”
After university, Mr Cachalia joined his father in business where he learnt the fundamentals and managed to start his own business.
When asked, he could not provide precise plans for the areas of Bedfordview, Edenvale and Tembisa if he was to become the next Ekurhuleni executive mayor.
He is currently on a listening tour which started in May. It will travel to all 112 wards across Ekurhuleni.
“I will speak to residents, listen to their views, their needs, their gripes and on the basis of that, create a manifesto that is informed of the needs of the residents,” he said.
“From what I have heard and seen on the ground, one of the issues is to improve service delivery. However, some areas are better off than others. Issues that need to be addressed are improved service delivery in all the areas, crime, safety and drug abuse.”
