Mayor Masina’s Legacy — A Legacy of failure
by Ald Tania Campbell — DA Leader in Ekurhuleni
and Ald Jackie Reilly — DA Ward Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 25 October 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni welcomes the end of the failing Executive Mayor, Cllr Mzwanidle Masina’s era. A five-year political term filled with empty promises to residents and an era of failure, as the ANC and coalition-run City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), has brought the city to the brink of collapse.
Power infrastructure is crippled with Elsburg, Germiston, Kempton Park and others plunged into darkness on a regular basis, while water outages have become the norm. Raw sewerage flows in the streets, posing a severe health risk to communities. Our people are forced to live in uninhabitable conditions. Ekurhuleni hostels are unmaintained and the informal settlements are unfit to live in.
Under ANC-Mayor Masina, Ekurhuleni is in freefall and the city is a shadow of its former self. In fact, the DA driven petition, which called for the removal of Mayor Masina received thousands of signatures. This clearly highlights that communities are fed up with the failing ANC and its coalitions.
Cllr Masina ends his term with incomplete projects, pothole-riddled roads and the people of Ekurhuleni have been plunged further into poverty.
Mayor Masina promised to deliver 100 000 homes when he took the reign as Mayor, he failed to deliver on this. Instead, as the term continued, his promises got more longwinded. Promising a formula one track, Botanical gardens and a Disney land. This comes from a Mayor who couldn’t stabilise the energy grid and attract business investment to secure jobs and improve the lives of all residents.
The DA has lambasted the ANC and its coalition partners for failing to uplift the communities this term. Residents have rallied behind the DA and are calling for change and for a party that gets things done. It is for this reason that we submitted the petition calling for Mayor Masina’s removal at the recent council sitting. We stand with the community!
During the term of failure by Mayor Masina and his ANC appointed Executive, dedicated DA councillors went the extra mile to assist residents, wherever possible. Through a proactive and responsive work ethic, we ensured that service delivery challenges were attended to speedily by the relevant department.
The DA was so hands-on and effective, that ANC Mayor, Cllr Masina, issued a directive to all Heads of Departments, instructing them to not communicate and liaise directly with DA councillors. This was an act of apparent sabotage from a failing administration to stifle the good work the DA has been doing on the ground with voters and the community, who are fed up with the lack of service delivery. Despite these challenges, we continued to escalate service delivery queries and pressure the ANC-appointed MMCs to deliver on their mandate as the executive. The DA gets things done!
The inaction by the ANC and its coalition partners is evident. At the upcoming local government elections, communities can vote for change, by voting for the DA. The DA is ready to get things done and turn the City of Ekurhuleni around. Vote for the DA on 1 November.
(Attached Picture: Ald Tania Campbell, DA Leader in Ekurhuleni, submitting a petition signed by thousands of residents calling for Mayor Masina’s removal.)
#Time4Change
*ANC Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Ald Tania Campbell
DA Leader in Ekurhuleni
