Councillor Mafinya and Mayor Mashaba discuss Zandspruit issues
It seems as if there are people who want to benefit out of this issue, and call themselves community leaders.
“There is hope; I’ve seen the plans for the RDP houses and flats that the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing (MMC), Mzobanzi Ntuli, is positive about,” said Victor Mafinya, the councillor in Zandspruit who added that he strongly discourages the land invasion which threatens to interrupt the City’s development plan.
Read more: Another protest reported in Zandspruit
Mafinya indicated he has had a meeting with Ntuli and also conducted a site visit last week on the land which is earmarked for development; however, they were interrupted by a group of land invaders who wanted to be addressed about the issue. “We had a public meeting on 20 January which Ntuli attended, alongside a group of the City of Joburg Region C Housing officials led by Sello Mtutwane and a town planner.”
After that meeting, some residents decided not to continue with the land invasions, but those who didn’t attend are still pushing for land invasion.“After that meeting, Ntuli came back to me and we took a tour of the area with Ntuli pointing out where they want the serviced stands to be,” Mafinya explained.
He speculated further that it seems as if there are people who want to benefit out of this issue, and call themselves community leaders.As a way forward, Mafinya suggested that the land be policed.
“The only thing that needs to be fast-tracked is providing security guards on the open space so that people cannot invade it, but it seems that Johannesburg Metro Police Department is understaffed,” he said.
City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba responded, saying, “If you look at the infrastructure backlog, the degree of unemployment and poverty and the inequalities prevalent in society, we are bound to have these challenges.
“Can we have a policeman on every street corner? It is totally impossible. We need a government that can provide leadership, not steal public funds and actually inspire confidence in the people.
We need private sector investment to provide employment and opportunities to our people,” he continued.
He added that people should refrain from the mindset that blames government, saying, “The answer lies in private and public partnerships that will enable investment in our city, because when that happens our people will be employed and able to build their own houses, with the City providing the bulk infrastructure.”
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