Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, Mmusi Maimane told residents of Itsoseng Informal Settlement that they should not continue to live in such severe conditions without basic services.
The DA leader was addressing residents from the settlement on 5 June about their lack of access to clean water and proper housing.
He said their only form of protest to ensure their problems were addressed was to oust the ruling party at the ballot box on 3 August.
“You cannot come here and say it is a better life for all while it is just a better life for Zuma and his cattle,” he said.
Residents continue to live in dire conditions without water, sanitation and proper houses while there is an abandoned housing project on their doorstep.
Malibongwe Ridge housing development has been left uncompleted and residents are left without answers as to when the project will be completed.
Maimane said this was tantamount to daylight robbery by a government that has neglected the people. “The building and allocation of housing in the ANC-governed City of Joburg is rife with corruption and shrouded in secrecy,” he said.
He promised residents that the DA government will ensure that all residents get title deeds. “Itsoseng cannot be forgotten. We will give title deeds to all residents so that you can say this is our home,” he said.
The party’s local leader, Funzi Ngobeni, said there were about 5000 households in the informal settlement. “The City indicates that only about 84 people will be allocated houses and there is no electricity at the new development,” he explained.
He further indicated that they have written a petition and submitted it to the City but he was told that the construction was going as scheduled.
“We heard there were no funds to pay the contractor and submitted the petition. We are still waiting for a response,” he said.
Herman Mashaba told residents that the power was in their hands. “We just passed a family that has been living without water for the past three months. You are the people who are going to make a decision on 3 August, make the right decision,” explained Mashaba.
Details: DA Johannesburg, 072 041 4842.
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