Cape Town - The EFF won’t take your house, but they will be eyeing vacant land in your neighbourhood. Isaac Goliat, 39, the EFF candidate for Ward 64, a traditional DA stronghold which includes Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay, said homes in residential areas would not be expropriated, but the homeless and other needy people would be accommodated on vacant land.
The Capricorn Beach resident, formerly from the Transkei, said land owned by foreigners living abroad would be taken over by the government so it could be put to use.
It is the first time that Goliat, who is a cabinet maker by trade, has stood in an election, but he has been active in the community for three years.
“I’ve been watching but now it is time to stand up and make changes. I want to affect lives,” he says.
He won’t be a “boss” like many councillors “who just sits in an office”.
“I will be with the people finding solutions to their problems.”
He said Ward 64 looked nice from the outside - but when you took a closer look, there were prostitutes, street people and rising crime rates.
He said practical solutions were needed to solve these issues.
“Some people live on the street and want to return to their homes but don’t have money so I would liaise with taxi organisations to take them.
“Others need to be accommodated and there is land from Vrygrond all the way to the sea which could be used.”
Goliat said the DA hadn’t done much to solve crime.
“And crime won’t get any better until we have economic freedom.”
He is confident the EFF will do well nationally in the upcoming elections on August 3.
“People are not happy. There are protests all over the country. I think even those still wearing ANC and DA T-shirts will vote EFF.”
Goliat said that once in power, the EFF would provide free education using money currently squandered by the government on corruption.
“We would also insist that half of everything sold in big retail outlets was produced in that municipality to create jobs.”
The reggae musician, who is also a boxing trainer, said the EFF was a party for everyone - as long as people were prepared to share.
Also taking on the DA but in the Far South - which includes Ocean View, Kommetjie and Scarborough - is Johann Kikillus, 41, who is standing as an independent candidate.
The Cape Argus interviewed Kikillus in May in his container office at the Ocean View Care Centre where he spoke about the drug war in the suburb which had claimed nearly 30 lives over six months. He heads up the Social Transformation Forum and is the director of Soteria Ministries which focuses on child abuse.
Kikillus said he had a proven track record in the community and people had queued up to support him when he had to obtain signatures to register with the IEC.
One of his main goals was to address the wrongs of the past.
“To do this, we have to address the issues of race, wealth versus poverty, education, government service delivery, housing, safety and social development.”
He said he had noticed that in the Far South there had been a deterioration in several areas over the past few years.
“Housing is a huge problem, and although the government has built several hundred houses in the past three years, the quality is appalling.
“Our schools are old and overflowing. Our clinics are far from adequate and we are battling with a serious crime problem.”
Kikillus said he was also concerned about the developments that kept being passed, putting a massive strain on infrastructure.
“The Far South needs a voice that will speak loud and clear at council and for the people.
“It currently does not have that. Someone needs to address the arrogance of the government - I have been doing that for the past few years and I will gladly do it for the next five years,” he added.
But DA Western Cape media manager Anneke Scheepers said the DA was the only party that was capable of enabling job creation and delivering services.
“We are asking the people of the Deep South to continue supporting us as every vote counts to ensure that the DA is again elected to run the City of Cape Town.”
Scheepers said the DA understood the importance of its supporters in the Deep South community, who had long endorsed the party’s effective governance.
“I urge every voter to reaffirm the DA on August 3 and to reiterate their stance against ANC corruption.”
Cape Argus