Roodepoort gets a feel of Maimane
ROODEPOORT - Mmusi says he is ready to captain Gauteng.
Arguably the most controversial Weltevreden Park resident, Mmusi Maimane, made an appearance close to home recently.
The Gauteng premier candidate for the Democratic Alliance (DA) was hosted by the party’s Florida Constituency at Roodepoort City Hall on Thursday 10 April.
This was part of his Town Hall Meetings which he continuously holds in order to engage residents.
“As premier candidate of this province, I want to restore people’s trust in their province –and I want them to believe in change,” Maimane said.
He seized the opportunity to take a dig at the current regime by raising issues close to the hearts of supporters who attended: crime, unemployment and service delivery.
Addressing crime in the province often referred to as the gangster’s paradise, he criticised slow response times of police.
He also took a jab at the response times of provincial emergency services.
“Our people [should] rather use a wheelbarrow to transport a sick person to hospital than to call an ambulance because the ambulance might never arrive,” Mamane said to a roaring crowd.
On corruption, Maimane committed to transforming the tender adjudication process.
“Only the best people will get the job. You can’t send criminals to catch other criminals.”
He did not spare President Jacob Zuma of criticism either.
Addressing the president’s perceived aloofness, he said it was important for politicians to remain humble servants of the people.
“We can’t have people who are unable to account for their actions and say they didn’t ask for certain things so they wont pay back tax payer’s money,” he said when asked about Nkandla, adding that cattle of the president had better living conditions than most residents in informal settlements like Zandspruit and Princess.
The event did not proceed without some controversy.
A small contingent of African National Congress supporters clad in party gear arrived ahead of the event, intent on disrupting the meeting. The group chanted ANC struggle songs and even a few numbers taunting the DA. Organisers remain unfased, however.
“Whatever negative thing they planning will not materialise. Our meeting will go ahead without any interruptions,” Pogiso Kgobokoe, a community leader in Roodepoort, said.
The ANC members had positioned themselves at the gate entrance of the hall. Maimane gave them the slip by making use of the opposite entrance to the one that ANC members were waiting at. He was welcomed by party members with song and dance and fond embraces from every angle.
