DA mayoral candidate announced
Pansi Nyaope pansi! (Down with nyaope, down) vows DA Mayoral candidate.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Tshwane mayoral candidate, Solly Msimanga, is intent on ridding Tshwane of the scourge of nyaope and other drugs.
DA provincial leader John Moody on Saturday announced that Msimanga was his party’s candidate for mayor of Tshwane in next year’s municipal elections.
During his acceptance speech delivered on the steps of the city hall in Pretoria, Msimanga said ridding the metro of drugs would be one of his main priorities should he become mayor after the election.
Msimanga will reintroduce the drugs and narcotic unit in the metro police itself and declared war on the drug lords.
“We are going to make sure that we identify these people and were are not going to deal with them with kid gloves,” he vowed. “We are going to arrest them. We’re going to take them off the streets,” he added.
Rehabilitation centres according to Msimanga, currently unused, will be made operational once again.
“We will make sure we introduce some new interventions such as rehabilitation centres, to give people skills, so that they don’t go back to a life of drugs,” he said.
His war on drugs was greeted with much applause.
But moreover, he wants to “restore people’s hope”.
“We want to do what the ANC has failed to do. We want to bring the services which you should be enjoying which you have not,” he said.
Addressing recent city scandals such as the PEU pre-paid electricity meter contract Msimanga promised to make all tender processes public when he sits at City Hall.
“I can’t understand why the secrecy,” he woefully added shaking his head.
On service delivery, he said the DA would fill the 40% plus vacancies that needed to be filled to ensure service delivery to the citizens of the Jacaranda city.
That is to ensure that “the people on the ground can benefit.”
On the much beleaguered metro police – often criticised for their ineptitude – Msimanga will replace its head with “someone who understands what it takes to lead a unit as important as a crime combating unit.”
“I will make sure that every metro police officer understand all the bylaws of the city so that the bylaws can be properly enforced… so that people who are innocent are not manhandled by metro police who does not understand how to do their job,” he pointed out.
“We’re going to make sure of proper training…and capacity” he added.
The 35-year-old Msimanga is a son of Atteridgeville who claimed that he understood the needs of the poor growing up wanting.
This he illustrated by referring to the downpour of rain during Saturday’s proceedings.
“I know what it means to sleep in a shack soaked in rain,” he said.
Ahead of the announcement Gauteng leader Moody too addressed the weather conditions.
“When it rains it washes away the dirt, springing new life. Tshwane needs to be washed clean – the Blue Wave (DA) is going to wash Tshwane clean. The Blue Wave will wash away maladministration, poor service delivery and everything that goes with it to bring a new life…so that generations to come will know indeed there is an organisation that cleansed the city of “filth.”
DA supporters were however not deterred by the weather. Much toyi-toying and stomping of feet accompanied the singing of adapted struggle songs, including a praise song for DA leader Mmusi Maimane.
Even the shadow minister of public enterprises, Natasha Mazzone and Moodey could not be stopped from moving to the DJ’s grooves.
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