The by-election in Ward 15 (Birchleigh, Van Riebeeck Park and a section of Glen Marais) will take place on Wednesday, August 7.
The by-election came as a result of the resignation of the former ward councillor, Gideon van Zyl, earlier this year.
The four voting stations, Laerskool Kruinsig, Laerskool Birchleigh, Hoërskool Jeugland and Wynand Marais Community Centre will be open from 7am until 9pm.
These four candidates are contesting the former DA ward:
Phineas Momoti (ANC)
He grew up in the Free State and moved to Kempton Park in 2001, where has been a resident for the past 18 years.
He believes that South Africa must have informed, active and involved citizens.
He believes in advancing the following government programmes, among others: poverty alleviation, job creation, quality education, youth development and employment and social cohesion.
He grew up poor, among the poor and went to public schools that lacked facilities that some may take for granted. Regardless of this low estate, Momoti has managed to face the odds and survived through difficult times with the help of others.
Therefore, Momoti understands the plight of poor people and the need for them to devise survival strategies to improve their circumstances. In fact, he has worked hard to ensure that most people realise the promises that the government of the day has made to the people of South Africa.
He understands community and the need to work together across racial and economic divides, and extends his hand across those divides.
Momoti is not a stranger to Ward 15. He has lived in Birchleigh, where he has been an active member of the ANC for over 10 years.
Momoti believes that political affiliation is not, and should not, be a hindrance to advancing service delivery within communities. So, despite his deep roots in the ANC, Momoti has collaborated with community members of all political parties to build sustainable community outreach programmes.
In 2017, he co-founded Birchleigh Speaks, a community newsletter which keeps Birchleigh residents informed of government programmes and opportunities while encouraging social cohesion and economic development.
He also co-founded Birchleigh’s Each One Teach One, a community outreach programme which fosters information sharing, community empowerment and self-actualisation.
He has served Ward 15 as the sector representative for sports, heritage, recreation and arts and culture. He has also been involved in ensuring that infrastructure projects that are undertaken in Ward 15 have local labour.
Although Momoti is contesting the by-election as an ANC candidate, his promise to the residents of Ward 15 is that he will continue to serve all people as he has always done.
He will work with all those that are willing to make local government relevant, and continue to bring meaning to the lives of both the downtrodden and privileged of Ward 15, without fear and without favour.
Amanda Davison (DA)
Dear Residents of Kempton Park Ward 15. Let me introduce myself to you. I am Amanda Davison, a mom, a wife and a resident of Van Riebeeck Park.
I grew up as a very conservative Afrikaans South African (maiden name Pienaar) and in a very Christian household (Hervormde Kerk).
My first contact with politics was at the University of Pretoria, where, as a typical student, one started fighting for “what is right”. Fellow students of all races and religions stood together in the early 1990s for equality.
Years later I arrived in Kempton as a technical, health and safety, environmental and regulatory manager at a major chemical company.
I first became involved in the community as a member of the body corporate of a road closure and soon came to realise the impact of local government in our lives.
I became more involved and was elected to both the ward committee and CPF structures and am currently vice-chairperson of the community crime forum. I am also a representative for Wards 104 and 15 on the local chemical environmental committee as well as various service delivery groups assisting councillors of these wards.
Just recently, during our Kempton Park refuse crisis, I represented residents of Kempton Park in Parliament in order to pressurise the Ekurhuleni mayor and COO to intervene and put the steps in place to solve the crisis at that time.
For me, being a ward councillor means to represent the community in the governance structures of the City of Ekurhuleni, where I can drive projects and IDP priorities for the ward.
With its 77-strong caucus in council, the DA presents a formidable force. In keeping the DA in Ward 15 we can maximise and continue to monitor and assist improvement of service delivery.
I know and understand the issues of Kempton Park in general and Ward 15 in particular. I have supported and worked for and with this community because I care and am committed to you all.
I’ve been a resident for 12 years and am not going anywhere. Together we can continue the fight against failing infrastructure if you give me the honour of serving you as the elected councillor for Ward 15.
Thabang Matlala (EFF)
I am originally from Limpopo and a resident of Birchleigh for the past nine years.
I have a diploma in project management, networking and other short courses.
My political career started at St Paul’s High School as a member of the SRC and during my matric year I went on to become the president of the SRC.
I am an environmental activist which is one of the reasons I joined the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), simply because it’s made up of activists from all walks of life. I strongly believe in what the EFF stands for.
I believe that our problem as a country starts with social ills that are dividing our communities.
As a resident of ward 15 I have witnessed different people trying to isolate themselves from the rest of the community which I think is a wrong approach as it opens the whole community to social problems such as crime, lack of progress in infrastructure development, hunger, poor education and dysfunctional families.
As per our policy in our founding manifesto, I am for united communities which work together for the prosperity of our country. It’s our responsibility as a community of ward 15 to set an example of what we would like our country to be like.
As a councillor candidate for the EFF, my immediate task is to address the division within the community, for example, we have a neighborhood watch group which is made up of just a single ethnic group and it is only operating in certain parts of the ward.
The idea of the group is a noble one but let it involve all the residents of the ward, we should all be participants in the well-being of our ward, expand the aims of the group and perhaps change its name and reach to accommodate all the challenges in the ward.
We have a growing number of youth which sits idle and the situation seems to only become worse following the stats realised by statistician general this past week. We need to keep the youth busy by firstly keeping them away from evil temptations and secondly, teaching them responsibility, hard work and how to persevere, because nothing worth having ever came easy.
The youth of our ward have been neglected just like that of our country as a whole since 1994, and that is the biggest mistake a community can make because they are the future property owners, perhaps in our ward, therefore they need to be taught and prepared for the road ahead.
They are the business owners, church leaders, school teachers, engineers and doctors of tomorrow. We can’t continue to have them idle as they are; it’s the risk that at best will collapse our community.
Women in our ward should take the lead in initiatives that are to take our ward forward and unite the community. Business people in our ward will be prioritised as they are the force behind the success of our ward.
Kempton Park Hospital is going to be reopened through pushing the provincial and national governments. The clinic in our ward will be opened for 24 hours because members of the community don’t stop their need for medical help at 4pm.
A healthy community is a prosperous community. Vote EFF in the 2019 by-election on August 7.
Johann Jordaan (Vryheidsfront Plus)
Die VF Plus gaan op 7 Augustus aan die tussenverkiesing in Kemptonpark, Wyk 15 (Birchleigh, Van Riebeeckpark en Glen Marais) deelneem om so kiesers die geleentheid te gee om vir die party van hul keuse te stem.
Die VF Plus het sedert die algemene verkiesing op 8 Mei buitengewone groei getoon en daarop voortgebou gedurende onlangse tussenverkiesings. Hierdie uitslae is ’n onteenseglike bewys dat die VF Plus na die volgende 2021 plaaslike verkiesing ‘n groter rolspeler in veral plaaslike regerings gaan wees, sê Johann Jordaan, die VF Plus se kandidaat in die tussenverkiesing.
Die VF Plus is reeds sedert 2016 ‘n regeervennoot in verskeie munisipale- en metrorade en hierdie uitslae bevestig die party se belangrikheid as koalisievennoot om beheer te neem oor ANC-beheerde munisipaliteite ten einde beter dienslewering aan getroue belastingbetalers te verseker.
Die VF Plus is oortuig dat Wyk 15 beter verdien en daarom sal die party aanhou veg vir desentralisering van mag vanaf metros na operasionele en funksionele plaaslike munisipaliteite. Inwoners moet weer die geleentheid gegun word om hul reg van selfstandigheid uit te oefen en oor plaaslike kwessies te kan besluit.
Jordaan sal veral op die volgende kwessies fokus:
• Die veiligheid en sekur-iteit van die gemeenskap
• Die deeglike instand-houding van bestaande infrastruktuur
• Die bou van nuwe paaie om verkeersvloei te ver-beter waar sulke behoeftes bestaan
• Die beskerming van die omgewing en volgehoue verwydering van vullis
• Regverdige belasting en heffings wat ontvang word vir dienslewering aangewend word en nie vermors word op onnodige uitgawes nie.
Jordaan woon in Wyk 15 en is ’n toegewyde lid van die gemeenskap. Hy is in Pretoria gebore en het in Birchleigh grootgeword waar hy aan Hoërskool Jeugland gematrikuleer het.
Johann is ’n sakeman en is getroud. Uit die huwelik is twee kinders gebore.
As aktiewe gemeenskapslid is hy nie net bedrewe in die politieke omgewing nie, maar was ook vir twee termyne GPF-voorsitter en voorsitter van die groter Tembisa-kluster.
Hy het inwoners aangemoedig om op 7 Augustus die stembus te besoek en vir die kandidaat van hul keuse te stem.
Kontaknommer: 063 266 8971
