As President Cyril Ramaphosa over the weekend waged the ANC local government election campaign in the DA stronghold of Cape Town, DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille addressed a sea of blue-clad party supporters in South Africa’s economic powerhouse – unveiling a five-point plan of the party’s first year in office, should it win the polls.
The local polls, set to be intensely-contested, will take place on 4 November – in justover two weeks.
Dressed in a white suit during her address - amid a thunderous applause from crowds in Johannesburg – Zille listed DA key priorities for the financially-ailing city: fix the finances, put honest and capable people in charge; declare war on corruption, make the municipality work for residents and restore law and order.
Amid the ANC voter support having over years consecutively declined in the City of Cape Town and in the Western Cape, Ramaphosa who went on a door-to-door campaign trail in Athlone, Rylands and Khayelitsha – later addressing public meetings in Emfuleni and Monwabisi Park, was bullish about the party was “in the game to win”.
MAYOR-IN-WAITING? Helen Zille is driven in style to the DA's final rally in Johannesburg.
The party has pinned its hopes in building on its 2021 support, as it challenges the DA in the metro, which the ANC last governed in 2006.
Ramaphosa has been taking aim at the DA’s governance record, claiming it failed to address the needs of poorer communities.
He described Cape Town as “a tale of two cities”, saying quality services were concentrated in wealthy areas, while townships faced severe water, housing, and sanitation challenges.
In highlighting a deep socio-economic divide in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said while affluent areas enjoyed high-tier infrastructure, township and informal settlements continued to struggle with basic needs.
He pledged to redouble government efforts to fight crime, saying rebuilding public trust in law enforcement required aggressively rooting out corruption and the criminal infiltration within the SA Police Service.
The deployment of soldiers to crime-stricken communities was meant to support and bolster police work, rather than replacing officers.
Speaking at the DA’s last rally in line with the theme “Now or Never: Don’t Joburg’s Last Chance”, Zille said the DA had a track record in governing.
BLUE TSUNAMI: A sea of blue-clad DA supporters welcome their leader.
“Twenty years ago, the blue team won the metro from the ANC and turned it into the world’s best city.
“Three years later we did the same in a province.
“We know the difference between making speeches and making government work.
“In Cape Town, old water and sewer pipes are being replaced at five times the rate of Joburg.
“When Eskom cuts the power, Cape Town has systems to keep the lights on.
“There are more working streetlights in Khayelitsha than in Sandton.
“Right here in Gauteng, DA-run Midvaal has achieved 12 consecutive clean audits.
“That is what happens when public money is used for the public good.
“But the biggest test of all is jobs.
“Since 2016, Cape Town has added more jobs than all the other seven other metros combined.
“In fact, Cape Town has created 120 000 more jobs than Joburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Mangaung put together.
“That is the best proof that the DA is the party that offers hope and opportunity to all, especially the poor,” said Zille.
She said government’s job was “to create conditions in which businesses invest, grow and employ people”.
Added Zille: “A factory needs electricity, a restaurant needs water and a trader needs clean, safe streets.
“Every business needs a municipality that answers its phones, processes its permits and gets out of the way of people who want to work.
“Joburgers built this city into the economic powerhouse of Africa.
“You are world-class people.
“Now you deserve a world-class government.”
A DA government would “replace pipes, fix substations and maintain roads” – archived through “putting honest and capable people in charge”.
“We need engineers who understand engineering, financial managers who understand finance and officials who actually serve the public.
“I do not care what colour you are or which WhatsApp groups you are on.
“I care whether you can do the job and whether you are honest.
“Good officials will have our full support, corrupt officials will face consequences and those who consistently fail to perform, will have to find work somewhere else,” warned Zille.
On fighting corruption, she said Johannesburg needed its “own Madlanga moment”.
“We will initiate an independent investigation into the corruption that has crippled this city – through public hearings and published findings.
“We will act on the evidence from the Auditor-General, whistle-blowers, the Zondo Commission and others.
“We will rebuild the city's anti-corruption capacity, shield it from political interference and protect whistle-blowers.
“And we will scrutinise city contracts, starting with the biggest and most suspicious.
“We will open up procurement to public scrutiny.
“There will be no favours for connected friends -no work, no pay.”
In defining a municipality working for residents, said Zille: “We will make sure the phones are answered and your queries addressed.
“We will resolve disputes and track faults until they are fixed.
“We will cut unnecessary delays in approving building plans and business permits.
“We will make it easier to start a business, grow a business and create jobs.”
In fixing city finances, a DA-led municipality would “cut waste, fix the billing system and fund essential services”.
“The money you pay for water must go towards water.”
On restoring law and order, Zille said: “We will support honest metro cops and remove corrupt ones.
“We will target cable theft, illegal dumping, hijacked buildings, criminal syndicates destroying our infrastructure and the scrap dealers who pay them for what they have stolen.”