Ramaphosa says coalitions 'tie the hands' of councils as Daveyton residents demand basics
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says coalition governments "tie the hands" of municipalities and hold back service delivery. He spoke while campaigning door to door in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, on Tuesday, where residents complained of no water or electricity, even in new RDP homes.
The case against coalitions
Ramaphosa said that while coalitions made democracy robust, they often made it difficult for mayors and municipal committees to deliver services, Sowetan reported.
I'm hoping that in these elections, we will be able to have an outcome that gives outright support to parties that will be able to run municipalities effectively, so that we don't constrain and tie the hands of our municipal governance.
He also defended local officials. "We cannot say because one or two people have done the wrong thing, then brandish everybody in local government and say all of them are leading lavish lifestyles," he said.
"There has been delivery"
Ramaphosa said residents told him they were grateful to have moved out of informal settlements, but that they now had "new problems" in their new homes. He said faulty taps, door handles and outstanding electricity connections were being attended to.
He said an electricity contractor would be in the area on Wednesday. "That there hasn't been delivery is not true, there has been delivery," he said.
What residents told him
| Resident | Main complaint |
|---|---|
| Slindo Mthembu, renter originally from Tsakane | Street lights out, dilapidated roads and overgrown grass: "These issues are a space for crime" |
| Mosadi Khoza, 33, in Mayfield since 2011 | Still lives in a shack with three children and no jobs; no proper roads, so ambulances struggle to enter; flooding when it rains |
| Unnamed resident, cited by Ramaphosa | No electricity yet in her new house |
Source: Sowetan via TimesLIVE.
"We don't have jobs and the place we live in is a shack. It's not the right place for children," Khoza said. "We want change."
