SECUNDA – Mr James Masango was voted in as the new provincial leader for the DA on Saturday, 7 March and delivered his acceptance speech at the provincial congress in Witrivier.
Mr Anthony Benadie left the DA as the leader in Mpumalanga after nearly eight years and is now the deputy chair of the Federal Congress in Port Elizabeth.
Mr Masango is now a Member of Parliament, as well as Ms Tarnia Baker from Secunda.
Mr Masango said: “When I joined this party in 1994, I never thought that one day I would be where I am today.
“This achievement did not come easily, but through loyalty, commitment, hard work and long hours and most importantly, through the Grace of God I made it.
“I am really humbled by the trust, confidence and love which members from across the racial and socio-economic spectrum placed in me and this is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“We are now more than 20 years into democracy and most of Mpumalanga’s people have not yet realised the full meaning of freedom.
“Many have not tasted the fruits of freedom and instead, life is getting worse daily.
“Despite all the promises from the ANC-led government to build a better life, fraud and corruption top every aspect in Mpumalanga’s government.
“What is important, is that people want clean and transparent governance, a government of the people by the people and a government that is accountable to the people.
Mr Masango said these are what people want:
* Work and not food parcels.
* Opportunities to grow themselves and not hand-outs.
* Land to build houses for themselves and not government RDP houses.
* Electricity and not load shedding.
* Water and not dry taps.
* Tarred roads and not roads riddled with potholes.
* Jobs to better their lives.
According to Mr Masango, the longer the ANC remains in government in Mpumalanga, the more damage will be done and the more effort it will take the DA government to reverse the damage done.
“The sooner we take over this government, the better it will be for the people of Mpumalanga.
“We have proved that the DA-led governments are consistently the best performers in the country, with sound financial management, effective service delivery and an administration that truly cares about the needs of the people, irrespective of the colour of their skin or where they live.
“The ANC government loses billions of rand on fruitless and wasteful expenditure, through fraud and corruption every year and the DA offers a successful strategy and track record to reduce fraud and corruption.”
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