DA calls ANC to book for apparent vicious, racist pamphlet

According to Benno Robinson, Ward 22 councillor, the DA will be referring the threats contained in a letter from two ANC members to the Human Rights Commission.

“Recently I was made aware of a pamphlet written and distributed by the ANC members,” he said.

”The pamphlet, addressed to the City Planning Department, ‘requests to have an urgent meeting with your management as soon as before the end of November 2015’ (sic).

“More seriously, the end of this pamphlet deliberately misrepresents the actions being taken by myself and the metro. It clearly incites serious divisions in communities and violence.”

Robinson said that, at the end of October, the DA released a statement welcoming the metro’s planned multi-department blitz, which would crack down on, among other things, illegal electricity connections and illegal land use.

“This blitz was driven by myself and the metro’s chief operating officer, Dr Imogen Mashazi,” he explained.

”The task team included representatives of the Corporate and Legal, City Planning, Health and Social Welfare departments, and the Metro Police.

“Notices were issued to landlords who did not comply with correct property zoning laws, illegal buildings, poor sanitation and overall inadequate living conditions. At no stage did these notices demand that tenants were evicted, as claimed by this letter.

“The hostels that were targeted included ordinary residential houses that had been fitted to provide 50 rooms that had over 70 people living on properties that simply cannot cope with these numbers.

“Tenants are charged exorbitant rentals of up to R1 500 to live in an area where running water and sewerage is non-existent or totally inadequate.

“The DA rejects with contempt the blatantly racist remarks made in the pamphlet that ‘no white person must have peace in Boksburg’ and that ‘the DA and the municipality don’t want black people in Boksburg, they want to bring us back to Apartheid’.

“The claim that ‘the DA and the municipality want to throw you onto the street at the end of the month, so the DA can win the elections next year’ is irresponsible in the extreme.

“The DA will continue to fight for all residents of Boksburg North, to bring back properly enforced by-laws and to ensure that all those who live there have access to proper services and sanitation without the existence of drugs, crime and prostitution.”

Robinson said the ruling party needs to bring its members into line and order them to cease publishing remarks that are in direct contradiction to the mayor’s consistent calls for nation-building.

“In the meantime, we, as the DA, will be reporting this matter to the HRC and the Independent Electoral Commission for blatantly spreading unfounded and inaccurate information ahead of an election,” Robinson added

He said he will go ahead with the community meeting he has scheduled for November 30, in the Centenary Hall, on the corner of Trichardts Road and Fourth Street, to report back to residents on the progress made.

All members of the community are welcome to attend the meeting, which will start at 6.30pm.