The city has allocated R50 million to electrify Slovo Park
They'll be lights at Slovo Park informal settlement at last.
The following is a speech which was delivered by Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba during a sod-turning event signifying the launch of the City’s electrification of Slovo Park Informal Settlement.
For years the people of this settlement have knocked on government’s door, seeking help; asking for the government to bring light to their community.
Instead, you were forced to accept an empty slogan of a so-called World class African City when for many of you here today, that was but a distant dream.
-
Also read:Â Still, no help for blind Khumalo
I am happy to say, that this government has heard you. We have come to remember the people of Slovo Park.
You see, whilst the past administration was obsessed with international trips and advertising themselves, you here continued to suffer. R153 million spent in two years on self-promoting advertising, R193 million spent in three years on travel.
These were the symptoms of an administration that was out of touch with the needs of its own people. The past government was happy to spend R340 million on a new state of the art council chamber when it could not electrify informal settlements, issue title deeds, or lift a finger to combat the rampant drug abuse in our communities.
-
Also read:Â Cleaning together for the good of the community
When we came in as the new coalition government administration, we promised the people of Johannesburg that we would bring about change; change which made a difference in the lives of residents within our city, particularly for those in some of our poorest communities.
After all, you are us and we are you.
At this juncture, I must take a moment to thank the members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for their robust interaction with our administration and for working with us to make this electrification of Slovo Park a reality.
People of Slovo Park, you too deserve to feel your chests swell up with pride as you take the first tentative steps towards development.
In fact, many of our communities through the city deserve this.
That is why, from the beginning of our term, my administration embarked on a project to cut wasteful expenditure that resulted in a saving of close to R500 million by cutting spending, self-promoting advertising, marketing and unnecessary international trips.
These savings will be redirected into critical service delivery areas such as maintenance of traffic lights and street lights, repairing potholes, upgrading informal settlement such as this one and making sure key city departments are able to deliver quality services to all our residents.
-
Also read:Â Sewing for bread and butter
On this day, working with City Power, we are bringing light where there was darkness.
The city has allocated R50 million to electrify Slovo Park, which involves upgrading the Nancefield substation as a source of power supply in the area.
With this project, we help you to begin to put behind years of suffering.
We know that you have had to survive by using braziers and paraffin stoves for cooking and heating in your homes. Candles have been your only source of light, often leading to fires that have destroyed many of your homes.
Those days are coming to an end.
While it is exciting to finally kick-start this project, it is also infuriating that residents of our City needed to resort to the courts in order to receive the services that they were entitled to for so long. The previous administration only paid lip service to true, meaningful service delivery.
But not us. Not the DA-led coalition.
Despite the budgetary constraints we are faced with, we made a pledge that our administration will electrify Slovo Park and other communities like it.
This is part of our pro-poor agenda to uplift those communities that cannot help themselves. In helping communities such as Slovo Park, we also steer its people away from illegal electricity connections.
Such connections cause public fatalities through electrocutions. They also lead to vandalism of City Power infrastructure and need repairs, often at huge costs.
These costs put a strain on the city’s budget of about R600 million to upgrade 10 informal settlements in this 2017/18 financial year.
-
Also read: It’s true, you reap what you sow
But we forge ahead.
We do so because, for us, this is not merely about service delivery. This project is about bringing dignity to our people.
We will deliver on the promises we made to you.
As your Mayor, I know that you have grown tired of empty promises.
I invite you to partner with us as we open a new chapter of opportunities for Slovo Park.
