Elected Mashaba will fight power outages
WELTEVREDEN PARK – During its recent meeting, the DA told residents that the City of Johannesburg would be transformed if it is elected.
As the flashing Beagle Watch Security lights lit up Landhuis Street in front of the Allen Glen High School, residents filled the jam-packed school hall where DA leader Mmusi Maimane was set to speak at his alma mater on 28 June.
Maimane was accompanied by the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) mayor candidate for the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Herman Mashaba, various ward councillors and even his parents-in-law who came to support his campaign.
At 7pm, nearly 400 seats were filled as DA constituency head, Kate Lorimer introduced residents to the opposition party’s leaders. The meeting, referred to by Lorimer as a town hall meeting, aimed to address issues that disgruntled residents of Weltevreden Park and surrounds voiced.
The issue of constant power outages was the first to be named by Mashaba.
“We need to clamp down on cable thieves. The issue has been raised by ward councillors in council repeatedly, but to no avail,” he said.
Mashaba explained that, through a DA led CoJ, power outages will come to an end. This would be achieved through electrifying informal settlements, upgrading aging electricity infrastructure and employing fully skilled staff.
Maimane: The only hope for SA is change at the elections #AllenGlenMeeting @DA_JHB @RoodepoortNorth
— Cllr Chantelle Fourie-Shawe (@cfshawe) June 28, 2016
Mashaba previously said when elected on 3 August, his administration will immediately budget for the employment of additional technicians and an artisan programme within City Power to train electricians and essential technical staff.
“The current allocation of two technicians per region, per shift, is simply unsustainable,” he said.
Mashaba also alluded to high crime in Honeydew, lack of opportunities for small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) and corruption as obstacles he wishes to overcome in CoJ if he were to be elected as the City’s next mayor.
“We will make corruption public enemy number one. I promise, that if the DA wins CoJ, the city will be transformed by 2021,” he said.
Lorimer then introduced the candidate ward councillors for the Joburg North West constituency before introducing Maimane.
He said this year’s local government elections will be the closest since 1994. This election will mark the first election where the DA is contesting every ward in the country.
“I believe this election is a referendum on Jacob Zuma. If the DA can govern the major metros [including CoJ], we could change the country’s economic trajectory,” he said.
Maimane said he will again visit his alma mater on 3 August where he will cast his vote in the local government elections.
Details: DA, 086 122 5532
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