Johannesburg - DA Joburg mayoral hopeful Dr Mpho Phalatse says voters did not choose correctly in the 2016 local government elections, but now they have a chance to “self-correct”.
Phalatse was on the campaign trail in the Joburg CBD on Monday, along with DA leader John Steenhuisen.
The two were joined by a small group of DA supporters, wearing DA blue t-shirts, as they interacted with business owners, at the popular Maboneng precinct, in down-town Johannesburg.
Phalatse said the city of Johannesburg was broken and needed urgent fixing.
She said the reason the city was in such a poorly run state was that voters did not choose correctly in the 2016 local government elections.
Like several major metros, Johannesburg was not won outright by the ANC.
The DA, which secured 38.37% - 104 seats in Johannesburg, managed to secure some smaller political parties’ support, which enabled the party to run the metro for three years.
The party was later ousted by the ANC – which scored smaller political parties’ support to secure a majority.
Phalatse said voters now had an opportunity to secure better lives for their families. She said the DA needed a majority to make this possible.
“What was done in 2016 was that voters did not choose right. The reason we have the government we have right now is because of votes, and how people voted in the 2016 elections.
“We are saying to people, they now have an opportunity to self-correct. If they voted wrong in the 2016 elections, they now know the price of making the wrong choice,” said Phalatse, with loud cheers from supporters flanking her.
“They have an opportunity of securing a better life for themselves and their families, for the next five years,” she said.
Phalatse said the city of Johannesburg was broken, and that residents and businesses were hopeless, facing poor service delivery.
She said her offer is to take the city back to basics.
“The city of Johannesburg is broken, it is broken there is no basic service delivery. I am talking about water, electricity, roads, and infrastructure. These are the things people are asking for, it doesn't matter whether they are residents or a businesses.
“Today is international tourism day. We are doing oversight visits of various tourist attractions in Johannesburg. Areas that used to be vibrant and are the core of the economy in Johannesburg,” said Phalatse.
“My promise to Johannesburg is to take them back to basics and to get the city to work again, and get all Johannesburg residents to take pride in their city once again.
“Johannesburg used to be the land of opportunity and I think that can be restored under a DA government,” Phalatse said.
Phalatse had previously served as a mayoral committee member in the Johannesburg council for three years, while the DA was in government, under former mayor Herman Mashaba.
Steenhuisen echoed similar statements saying voters had to give the party the majority for stability to return for the province's three major metros; Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane
“We are going full steam ahead and the message we are taking to voters is that we want our own majorities in these councils. We want stable governments for Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, and Tshwane.
“We are making the pitch to people that you have an opportunity for five years, of a solid government that gets things done,” said Phalatse.
Political Bureau