Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba says he noted the call of African National Congress (ANC) president, Cyril Ramaphosa to address the community of Alexandra.
Mashaba has lashed out at the ANC for blaming his leadership for service delivery and housing problems in Alexandra North of the city. He says the DA is working on addressing the issues in Alexandra which they inherited from the ANC.
This as protests have flared up for a second day in the township – despite calls by Total Shutdown organisers to temporarily suspend demonstrations, due to security concerns.
“What is strange is that they are the one blaming me for failing people of Alex, because housing is the competency of the city of Joburg. When I took over, government had R411 million for housing for 2016/17. When they lost and I came over they cut my budget for housing to R245 million, so this is why I can’t understand why they are blaming me.”
On Wednesday, residents took to the streets to protest against the mushrooming of illegal structures in the area. Businesses and schools were closed for the day and commuters were left stranded.
Residents have threatened to continue protesting until Mashaba attends to their concerns.
He says the City of Johannesburg has made numerous attempts to receive the memorandum and engage the community leadership to hear their grievances. “All of this was to no avail, when ANC Ward Councillors obstructed this effort.”
“It is of interest that you make this call, dressed in ANC regalia, while it is your own Party that has both produced the catastrophic failure that is experienced in Alexandra today.”
Mashaba says it is the ANC that has hijacked the legitimate grievances of the community ahead of the elections.
In the meantime residents are bracing for more protest action if the Mayor doesn’t pitch.
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