#IMadeMyMark: What Kempton’s Freedom Front Plus candidates have to say

As part of its role to inform our readers, Express publicly invited the ward candidates in the relevant wards to answer one question: Which service delivery problem in your ward (area), which hinders the rebuilding of the ward’s local economy, will you address first and how?

The FF Plus candidates responded as follows:
Ward 91 Cecilia Smuts:

Cecilia Smuts has been residing in Ward 91 for 30 years and is determined to address the problems of broken street lights, burst water pipes and parks that are not being maintained. Ward 91 residents are also frequently affected by power outages caused by outdated infrastructure.

Like the FF Plus, she values the public participation process and the need for consulting with residents to ensure that the best possible solutions, suited to the specific community, are implemented. Effective mutual communication between the elected councillor and the community being serviced is also very important.

Charity is close to Cecilia’s heart, so she collects food and clothing donations for less privileged families. She is the deputy chairperson of the FF Plus youth branch in Brakpan.

ALSO READ: #IMadeMyMark: Voters want to hear from candidates

Ward 15 Jean Kriek:
Jean’s political involvement in the party started in 2010 and he has been responsible for the design and development of FF Plus’s various media platforms ever since.

He has been residing in Kempton Park for quite some time and frequently assists residents with addressing infrastructure and service delivery problems, like burst water pipes, power outages and garbage disposal.

Jean believes Ekurhuleni residents must be provided with the services for which they pay and, therefore, he is actively involved in resolving service delivery problems, including fixing broken street lights, water leakages, sewage spills, potholes and inaccurate municipal services accounts.

He also believes it is important to hold officials accountable for any irregularities and corruption. He, furthermore, believes in levying reasonable rates and taxes and is opposed to unreasonable tariff hikes.

He served as the party’s youth leader in Gauteng and as deputy leader on a national level. Jean serves on various provincial and national party management structures and is determined to help create a better future for all Ekurhuleni residents.

Ward 25 Chantel Steyn:
Like the FF Plus, Chantel is seriously concerned about the poor condition of the roads in Ward 25. The smallholdings community have no choice but to make use of nearly inaccessible roads that are not being maintained properly. The development of infrastructure is inadequate, so residents are frequently affected by water and electricity problems as well.

She concurs with the FF Plus that a minimum portion of taxes must be re-invested in the areas where those taxes are collected. At present, tax money is not handled in a systematic and earmarked manner. Chantel aims to take a stand against corruption and mismanagement in municipalities.

Ward 23 and mayoral candidate Jennifer Anne Glover:
As councillor representing the FF Plus, Jennifer is addressing service delivery problems on a daily basis. She is also involved in addressing problems in Ward 23, specifically, where sewage is being dumped in a local marshland, Bonaero Park experiences sewage problems and roads are riddled with potholes.

She is the FF Plus’s mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections.

She assists residents with resolving inaccurate municipal service accounts and is actively busy holding the ANC government accountable for the decline and decay of Ekurhuleni.

Jennifer also organises various community projects on behalf of the FF Plus, these include projects aimed at cleaning up the area, repairing potholes, collecting food and clothing for the underprivileged and more.

As councillor, she serves as the FF Plus’s caucus leader and chief whip, chairperson of the minority party caucus, as member of the Section-79 Oversight Committee, the Women’s Committee and the IEC Committee.

Jennifer also serves on various provincial structures of the FF Plus where she plays a significant role in decision-making. She is a licensed lawyer and her zeal and knowledge of the law are an asset to the party.

Ward 104 Johannes Hendrik Hattingh (Henk):
Henk is concerned about the council’s poor service delivery in Ward 104, which includes unreliable garbage disposal services, sewage problems and a lack of general upkeep, like cutting the grass.

Henk believes it is imperative that taxpayers must be provided with the services for which they pay good money. He endeavours to motivate his community to exercise their democratic rights by taking part in public participation processes. Nobody can afford to keep standing on the sidelines while service delivery declines and infrastructure decays in Ekurhuleni.

Ward 16 Monique Hattingh Kriek:
As the FF Plus’s Gauteng deputy youth leader, Monique regularly participates in community projects aimed at reaching out to the youth and underprivileged. She undertakes to address the problems in Ward 16 with a specific focus on upgrading water and electricity infrastructure. She also wants to ensure that garbage disposal occurs on a regular basis in Ward 16.

Like the FF Plus, Monique believes Ekurhuleni’s development and advancement is important and, thus, the needs and priorities that residents themselves identified must be set out in the

Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The implementation of this plan is also imperative, so the party will keep providing feedback to the community by means of meetings and social media.

The party will hold the mayor accountable for any irregularities and corruption or when tax money is misappropriated.

Monique obtained a BA degree in criminology from Unisa and has also received recognition from Amnesty International. She is a member of AfriForum and Solidarity as well.

Ward 17 Werner Cornelius Smith:
Werner has been a resident of Ekurhuleni for the past 12 years and is a member of the FF Plus’s youth structures in Gauteng. He has already identified the most pressing problems in Ward 17, where businesses in the industrial area frequently experience power problems.

He blames old infrastructure, which is not being properly maintained nor upgraded, for these problems and will put pressure on the council to look after the interests of the Ekurhuleni business sector.

Werner believes councillors must perform their duties in a transparent and accountable manner; he is committed to continually monitoring the municipality’s performance and ensuring officials possess the skills they need to do their jobs. If not, they must be held accountable for any irregularities in the municipality.

He is also a member of AfriForum and his local neighbourhood watch.

Ward 13 – Edited on October 25.

The Freedom Front Plus provided the name and details of the incorrect ward councillor candidate for Ward 13, in last week’s part 1 edition of #IMadeMyMark: Councillors talk about service delivery, economic growth.

The correct FFP candidate in ward 13 is Johann Jordaan and not Verushka Jacobs as previously stated by FFP.

“The FF Plus will encourage a dispensation which makes sustainable and independent communities possible. I think public participation must be encouraged and opinions must be considered when changes are made to the integrated development plan, spatial development plan and the budget,” said Jordaan.

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