Political parties not impressed by mayor’s State of the City Address
“We had our peaceful protest that the ANC felt agitated by because it highlighted the flaws of the department that the ANC is overseeing in the City of Ekurhuleni,” said Dunga.
The State of the City Address last Thursday had a rocky start, from residents protesting outside and interrupting the parades to EFF councillors holding a silent protest during the meeting, raising placards complaining about poor service delivery.
This led to delays in Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza presenting his address.
Speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga had to adjourn the sitting briefly before Xhakaza could deliver his speech.
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Tshivhenga told the councillors that the placards were not allowed in the council’s chambers as they were classified as objects in terms of 24 E.
EFF Gauteng Chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said the EFF was not to blame for the disruption.
“We had our peaceful protest that the ANC felt agitated by because it highlighted the flaws of the department that the ANC is overseeing in the City of Ekurhuleni,” said Dunga.
He said they were not impressed. Dunga slammed the city’s current state.
“The city is riddled with potholes, the lack of fleet affects service delivery, and traffic lights have turned into stop signs. We feel this is a regressive approach to running the government,” said Dunga
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ActionSA Chairperson Phillip Dolo welcomed the plan to ensure more workers, as ActionSA has been very vocal on the matter.
“We are happy with the 60:40 ratio; we want to see 60% of the contractors being insourced,” he said.
Brandon Pretorius, DA Caucus Leader in Ekurhuleni, said the city is in crisis.
“We have a crisis in this city. Not only a financial crisis, but a crisis of managing human capital,” said Pretorius.
He said the coalition administration does not care about the well-being of residents.
“Your tenure in office has been a showcase to the residents of this city as to what happens when you are governed by greed for position political parties.
“This coalition is running on borrowed time, because as surely as the sun will set on you and this unhealthy relationship, the sun will rise on a DA dawn, ushering in a brighter tomorrow for all of Ekurhuleni’s residents – focused on the basics and not promising the world,” said Pretorius.
