WATCH: Soon, you can shop in Ekurhuleni just like in Dubai, says Mbalula

The City of Ekurhuleni under the ANC-led government will be transformed into the world’s next luxury shopping destination , just like Dubai.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Sunday evening on last week’s by-elections, ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula said the ANC was “changing the face of Ekurhuleni” and South Africans would no longer need to travel to the United Arab Emirates for their retail therapy.

“We are changing the face of Ekurhuleni (and it) is going to be the next Dubai. You will no longer have to shop in Dubai, you will be shopping here in Ekurhuleni,” he said.

Mbalula sang the praises of Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina as his term first term comes to an end ahead of the local government elections in October.

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He said the ANC-led coalition government with smaller parties had managed to receive a clean audit opinion from the Auditor-General and they were delivering services to residents.

We have been the most consistent at delivering the coalition that we are leading in Ekurhuleni. Look at Ekurhuleni, it is changing and we are delivering.

Mbalula seemed to forget during the interview that the ANC had always controlled the metro since its establishment in 2000, with Masina’s predecessor being Mondli Gungubele.

He said the party in 2016 inherited a municipality beset with challenges and it was cleaning up the “mess”.

“There are bigger challenges we have inherited there, but at the end of the day, look at our coalition which is unbreakable under Mzwandile Masina and his team,” he said.

After the 2016 local government elections, the ANC failed to garner a majority to retain the municipality. The party was forced to go into coalition with smaller parties, the African Independent Congress, Pan Africanist Congress, Patriotic Alliance and the Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa.

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