Alexandra activist slams ANC – and all politicians – for ‘hijacking’ Alex shutdown

On an episode of SABC2’s The Big Debate, Benjamin Chisari, identified on the show as an “Alexandra activist”, was asked by the show’s host, Redi Tlhabi, if he was “happy” with the support the ANC lent the Alexandra shutdown.

Residents of the township are engaged in an ongoing protest over what they feel is inadequate service delivery and the mushrooming of illegal structures in the area.

“So you’ve got support from the ANC, they came out and said, Mayor Herman Mashaba, you and your administration have failed,” said Tlhabi, asking Chisari if he was happy about this support from the ANC’s local branch.

“We are not happy, in fact we are disappointed,” Chisari answered.

“As a bone of contention the Alex shutdown was not designed to be hijacked and to run electioneering for party politics, what we wanted was service delivery for the mere communities of Alex irrespective of which political party [you belong to],” he continued.

“We as the community are saying we are sick and tired of people taking our lives, playing with our hopes and making sure that they only come when it’s time for elections”.

Elsewhere in the interview, Chisari labelled all politicians “professional liars” before detailing some of the empty promises that have been directed at Alexandra residents. The segment can be viewed below.

READ MORE: Mashaba pens frustration with ‘silence’ on inter-governmental approach to Alex protests

Chisari’s answer is likely not what the ANC wanted to hear, but it was possibly not music to the DA’s ears either. The DA’s Johannesburg executive mayor Herman Mashaba, the party’s Gauteng leader John Moodey, and others have painted the protests as having been “orchestrated” by the ANC.

While certain Alex shutdown leaders do appear to be active in the ANC, such as Kenneth Mgaga and Adolph Marema, Chisari’s answer is an indication that, while some politicians have used the shutdown for electioneering purposes, there’s more to it than that.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to visit the township on Thursday.

On Monday, Mashaba wrote a letter to Ramaphosa requesting to join him on this visit, and has since released a statement saying the president’s silence over the letter “reveals the politics behind the Alexandra protest”.

Enraged residents have been protesting since last Wednesday, calling for service delivery improvements, high levels of crime and the issue of illegal land use, among other issues.

Mashaba requested that instead of Ramaphosa visiting Alex residents on Thursday, that he consider organising a “real inter-governmental engagement” with residents at a later date.

(Background reporting, Nica Schreuder)

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