Mpumalanga DA Leader, Jane Sithole and Federal Leader John Steenhuisen embarked on a three-day voter engagement tour in Mpumalanga that spread across Thembisile Hani, Govan Mbeki, Lekwa, Msukaligwa, Emakhazeni and Steve Tshwete.
We were joined by Provincial Chairperson Bosman Grobler, Mpumalanga based Members of Parliament (MP), Councillors, Constituency Leaders and activists.
The delegation met with business chambers, citizens, civil society bodies and community forum leaders. In Thembisile Hani a house was handed over to an elderly couple and their disabled children whose RDP house was damaged by a hailstorm years ago.
In Lekwa, we did door to door visits where we engaged with disgruntled residents in Enyokeni. The residents expressed their concerns at the cost of living and the cost of the food crisis. Some residents raised their concerns on continuous sewer spills, electrical failures, lack of water and structural defects on RDP houses.
During public meetings the Federal Leader also shared the logic behind the Multi-Party Charter: “We have decided to focus on the things that unite us, we want to reduce unemployment, we want the best education for our children, we want to live in safe communities, we want our economy to grow and we want the best healthcare facilities.”
The tour continued to Emakhazeni where residents detailed their water challenges. The delegation was informed that several pumps at water reservoirs do not function at all, and as a result the water pressure is low.
The Provincial Leader reiterated that South Africans will face an uphill battle if the ANC survives in the 2024 elections. “As residents of this country the power is in your hands. The country needs change, our infrastructure is on the brink of collapse, corruption is the order of the day, our healthcare facilities are in a dire state and our public entities are falling apart.”
The tour concluded in Steve Tshwete where the delegation heard how the municipality is failing to maintain its infrastructure that keeps falling apart. It was also reported that the ANC administration in this municipality appears unwilling to find a long-term solution to cable theft, despite the fact that replacing stolen cables costs millions of unbudgeted.
The DA has noted the concerns of our residents from different municipalities in Mpumalanga. We encourage residents to register to vote in the upcoming elections, the DA, is the only viable party capable of alleviating their woes.
As the official opposition the DA remains committed to residents and good governance practices. Residents of Mpumalanga have been deprived of services for far too long under the ANC administration, therefore, removing the ANC from power is of importance.