DA mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba visited the Zandspruit community on 30 January.
After visiting the informal settlement, Mashaba and his colleagues discovered certain issues such as: unemployment, insufficient electricity or illegal electricity connections and crime to be prevalent.
In a statement, DA Director for Communications and Research Willie Venter said, “Most people get water from standpipes or use grey water, which is particularly dangerous for children and the elderly.”
#MashabaForMayor @HermanMashaba at a flooded shack. pic.twitter.com/C64Y23iRlr
— DA Joburg Caucus (@DA_JHB) January 30, 2016
#MashabaForMayor @HermanMashaba 'I will be back and visit again. We can only bring change if you vote for us' pic.twitter.com/OhFj4wadl8
— DA Joburg Caucus (@DA_JHB) January 30, 2016
Venter further stated, according to the residents ,they have to use pit and VIP toilets, which are not emptied regularly or in some instances, not at all and there is no rubbish collection.
#MashabaForMayor @HermanMashaba poor drainage and infrastructure in Zandspruit pic.twitter.com/sVULpUaEiK
— DA Joburg Caucus (@DA_JHB) January 30, 2016
“Murder and rape occur almost every day, and crime and drugs, especially nyaope, are rife,” said Venter.
The issues that have been highlighted are, according to the DA, going to be addressed by doing the following:
• The first step would be to complete the land acquisition process that the city has been unable to do since 2004 and formalise the settlement. Bulk services would be installed and housing delivery projects will be fast-tracked.
• Title deeds will be handed over to housing beneficiaries, giving the existing thriving informal trading sector room to expand and boost job creation.
• The DA would deploy additional police resources to the area, and tackle crime and drug lords head-on, and make Zandspruit’s streets safe again.
“[The DA] will give people the dignified quality of life that they have been promised by our Constitution,” added Venter.
