NFP talks a good fight in Gauteng

File photo: NFP president Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi

File photo: NFP president Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi

Published Mar 24, 2014

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Johannesburg - Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi’s National Freedom Party (NFP) has threatened to drastically reduce the ANC majority in Gauteng, hoping to secure more than 1 million votes in the May 7 elections.

The NFP has also asked Gauteng voters to give ANC president Jacob Zuma a “red card” for the millions spent to upgrade his homestead at Nkandla.

There are just more than six million registered Gauteng voters on the Independent Electoral Commission database.

NFP Gauteng premier-designate Bheki Gumbi told The Star his party would secure 17 percent of the vote.

Gumbi was speaking on the sidelines while kaMagwaza-Msibi was making public her party’s Gauteng manifesto in Tembisa on Sunday.

It will be the first time the NFP will be contesting national elections since its formation in 2011, but already Gumbi – who is No 1 on its top 10 list – believes his party will have at least 10 people in the Gauteng legislature.

“We are not ready to take over Gauteng. We want to have between seven and 10 seats in the Gauteng legislature. That would enable us to be represented in all the legislature’s portfolio committees, where we would be exerting our influence,” Gumbi said.

The NFP in Gauteng has included candidates in the provincial and province-to-national lists who are former DA and ANC councillors in the City of Joburg and Tshwane metro councils.

Those in the top 10 include Mary Mashinini, a former branch secretary in Alexandra of teachers’ union Sadtu, while others were ordinary members of the ANC and former Gauteng government officials.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s relative, Nontuthuzelo Mniki, is also in the top 10.

“The majority of the NFP top 10 in Gauteng are not former IFP members; most of them are from the ANC and a few from the DA. This shows that the NFP is a national organisation and not a party for Zulus only,” Gumbi said.

Kate Mpete, a former DA councillor in Tshwane, is 13th on the NFP national list, and Duna Madise, a former ANC councillor in the City of Joburg, is No 3 on the province-to-national list.

Key points to boost province

The National Freedom Party hopes to gain more votes by giving people title deeds to their houses, and to ensure informal traders and taxi drivers are allowed to do their jobs freely.

The party has divided its Gauteng manifesto into four key points: housing, transport, economic development, and safety and security:

Housing

Challenges:

* Gauteng has a backlog in allocating title deeds to the rightful owners, some of whom have been in occupation of the properties for more than 50 years. Corruption is eroding allocated budgets to the housing projects.

* Issues of corruption are rife and result directly in poor service delivery and workmanship.

The party pledges to:

* Fast-track issuing title deeds to qualifying beneficiaries.

* To put in place a proper recording system and qualified staff to ensure efficient service delivery in the allocation of houses.

Transport

* To incentivise rail freight to relieve traffic pressure on Gauteng’s road infrastructure.

* To investigate why the petrol levy is not used as an allocation for Gauteng’s road maintenance.

Economic development

* Creating trading spaces for informal traders in Yeoville and the Joburg CBD.

* Ensure the taxi industry benefits from subsidy schemes offered by the Ministry of Transport.

Safety and security

* To build community-policing skills and capacity to deal with community-policing issues.

* To remunerate police personnel as well as professionals properlyto curb corruption and bribes.

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The Star

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