A solution to problems in Joburg
JOBURG – De Lange shares his view about the City and elaborates on what he will change if elected as mayor.
The City of Johannesburg is one of the most highly contested metros in the province. As the election date nears, more parties are coming out to say what they will do better in Johannesburg should they be elected into office.
On 21 June, the Freedom Front Plus released a list of their mayoral candidates in Gauteng. Franco de Lange has been named as the mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg.
De Lange is no stranger to City Council issues. He has been a councillor in the City of Johannesburg since 2009. He shared that he is more than ready to serve the people of Johannesburg as mayor.
His readiness to carry out this role is evident as he mentions some of the things that he believes are holding service delivery back in the City. “I believe that each ward should be allocated its own budget.” Elaborating on this statement, De Lange said he believes that this move will ensure that all residents receive service delivery from the City.
“Currently, money is spent in certain areas only. Areas [where] the ANC knows that they have a stronghold and they end up neglecting other areas,” he pointed out.
The mayoral hopeful also mentioned that he will make sure that he takes governance to grassroots. According to him, the current centralised management of the municipality is not working and is breeding more problems. “I will recall municipal structures and give regions the power to sort out municipal accounts.”
De Lange also said the billing crisis that the City experienced began after 2004, following the introduction of the centralised management system in the City. “From 1994 to 2004, there were no billing problems in the City.”
A man with solutions. It is, amongst others, due to him that pensioners aged 70 and older no longer have to pay tax on properties below the value of R2 million. “For the first time in history, I made the submission to the council and it was accepted during the 2013/2014 financial year.”
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