Johannesburg - ANC deputy president David Mabuza on Tuesday promised residents of the Chief Albert Luthuli settlement in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni he would take their complaints about lack of housing and unemployment to the relevant authorities.
Accompanied by ANC Gauteng deputy chairperson Panyaza Lesufi and Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, Mabuza took his local government election campaign to the area in eastern Johannesburg where he held a meeting with angry residents.
”Your biggest complaints are around houses and jobs. I will take the satellite police station issue forward. I heard that our kids are unemployed, they smoke nyaope,” Mabuza said.
He said what residents complained about which disturbed him the most is the housing issue.
According to Mabuza, the residents shared painful stories about having applied for houses as far back as 1996.
”We should establish a forum of residents that can meet with the municipality. Your communication with the metro should be improved. The elderly are counting a number of years without houses. We must follow up on the complaints and see what happened,” he proposed.
Masina claimed South Africa is the only country that gives people houses.
”If we are out of power these privileges will disappear because it is very expensive for the government,” he said.
Masina said the houses in the Chief Albert Luthuli settlement were new.
”There is not a single person who is a foreigner who has been given a house by the government. Residents rent out the houses to foreign nationals. It is illegal, it is wrong,” he warned the residents.
Masina continued: “We must not leave here with the impression that the ANC government is giving houses to foreign nationals.”
He also cautioned ANC members who decided to stand as independent candidates in Monday’s municipal polls that they were “killing” the party.
”This thing of independents is killing the ANC from within, we must collapse it,” Masina added.
He said he had come to Chief Albert Luthuli to ask residents to vote for the ANC.
”We have come too far. Give the ANC a chance to continue with its work,” Masina said.
He promised that the ANC will build a university of science and technology in Ekurhuleni in the next five years.
”Your needs cannot be resolved in 27 years. Even in five years we are not going to build every street,” Masina said.
Political Bureau