OPPOSITION parties were on the campaign trail yesterday ahead of the November 1 local government elections, while the governing party is still battling to deal with nomination disputes lodged by various branches and regions.
Scores of ANC members from Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga yesterday marched to Luthuli House to lodge complaints about the irregular appointments of councillors ahead of the Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC) registration deadline for candidates on September 21.
The DA and EFF in the country have already given voters a glimpse of what will be contained in their election manifestos, following a series of their public meetings urging the electorate to vote for their respective parties.
Yesterday, the DA’s Mogale City’s mayoral candidate, Tyrone Gray, unveiled and flighted the first of many mayoral campaign posters that would go up across the municipality as the DA accelerated its efforts to win Mogale City.
Gray and his party activities urged supporters and motorists on the busy streets of Krugersdorp to vote for his party on November 1.
He also urged voters to make use of the upcoming registration weekend on September 18 and 19 to ensure that they were correctly registered, saying Mogale City has great potential and under a DA-led government they could get things done and get the municipality back on track by restoring service delivery.
“Mogale City has immense potential, but sadly under the ANC the municipality is nearing collapse and is unable to deliver even the most basic services for its residents.”
He said cash flow constraints were resulting in millions of rands being lost in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
According to him, the interest penalties on bulk services accounts have become a financial burden, saying the municipality owes Eskom R390 million and Rand Water more than R45m.
“Mogale City has failed to upgrade its old and ageing water reticulation system.
“There is a huge backlog formalisation of informal settlements and no plan in place to address the housing backlog.
“The billing and reporting system requires vast improvements to comply with Section 95 of the Municipal Systems Act.
“Residents don’t get timeous replies to their queries and there isn’t an adequate tracking system for updates regarding customer care.
“This is just the tip of the problems that plague our beautiful city, and although it seems like an impossible task, let me assure you, through a DA-led government we can get the municipality back on track,” Gray said.
He said he was hoping for a 51% electoral support to put his plans in motion, saying, “51% of your support we can comfortably govern the city and introduce a government that is cash-backed and surplus generating”.
“A government that can enhance service delivery, support small businesses and create an environment where Mogale City-based entrepreneurs can flourish.
“What’s excellent about the DA is the entrenched qualities of their DA public representatives.
“Public representatives who display compassion, accountability, integrity, resilience, evidence-based decision making and excellence,” Gray said.
As I accept my party’s nomination, I promise to diligently serve the people of this city to the best of my ability, seeking to improve the lives of all who call Mogale City their home,” Gray said.