Mbalula leads ANC supporters in march for services in Tshwane

More than 10 000 ANC members and supporters marched to the Tshwane House yesterday to hand over a memorandum of demands to mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya about service delivery and other concerns in the city.

The Walking With People March in Tshwane was led by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who described it as the spirit of the revolution.

“This march is about the people’s mandate. It is the spirit of the revolution and what we, as the ANC, are about and what we should be obsessed about.

“For our region to stand up and show we did not just join a government as a melting pot, we are getting our people along in relation to what the mandate is and we have placed our mandate before the new government in Tshwane to save our people and serve our people in Tshwane,” he said.

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Bela Bill and spaza shops come up at march

Mbalula also reacted to the Stop Bela Bill protest and the spaza shop crisis saying “they had to occupy the streets and ensure we carry our people”.

“As the ANC we want the spaza shops to close down and register each shop in terms of the regulations. “We are happy with the steps the government is taking,” he said.

Mbalula read the memorandum of demands that included rooting out corruption and all forms of mafia and corruption along with a clear plan of action for creation of jobs.

It also demanded that the expanded public works programme be increased to 20 000 workers and a special plan to focus on unemployed youth, focus on township and urban economic development and informal traders and the rapid formalisation of informal settlements.

ANC Tshwane regional secretary George Matjila said: “We are on the side of the people.

“The city’s 100-day project should address the people’s issues and if not, we will make it clear, those who are in charge will be treated in the same manner as the DA.

“We will always be on the side of the people.”

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Tshwane leaders receive memorandum

Moya and deputy mayor Eugene Modise accepted and signed the memorandum and told Mbalula that they were committed to serve all the residents in the city.

“You allowed us, as leadership, to form this government. Without you agreeing to form this government it wouldn’t have happened. We don’t take this for granted.

“We want to serve the people and when we don’t, don’t keep quiet, hold us accountable.”

Meanwhile, Tshwane launched the Re A Spana 100-day programme in Olievenhoutbosch, Centurion, where it also inspected spaza shops and confiscated and destroyed expired goods.

Modise said they fixed potholes and arrested illegal immigrants selling expired goods. Moya said in Olievenhoutbosch, residents said they had not seen a mayor visit the area in the past eight years.

Former mayor Cilliers Brink, the party’s Tshwane caucus leader, said the ANC and its coalition partners had made big promises to improve service delivery in townships, but the reality was that they had underestimated the task of government.

“Now things are only getting worse. The DA is deeply concerned at the lack of action being shown by the ANC-led coalition in Tshwane as the taps run dry.”

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