MMC Ngobeni: Put pressure on government and hold it accountable

The MMC for Finance and former DA PR councillor for Ward 114, Funzi Ngobeni, has encouraged the residents of Zandspruit to put pressure on government and hold it accountable if it fails to deliver on its promises.

Ngobeni was speaking during a DA meeting he attended with the MMC for Economic Development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, that was organised by the current PR councillor, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku to update residents about the electrification project and other issues affecting the informal settlement on Thursday, 7 March.

“As you know, for many years you have been receiving promise after promise, and every time these promises have turned into nothing,” MMC Ngobeni told the crowd, most of whom were clad in blue DA T-shirts, interspersed with some in red EFF regalia.

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“We have done a lot of work since we came into government in 2016 – we said when we leave this government and are not re-elected in 2021, we must at least leave a legacy behind in Zandspruit – leaving it different from how we got it,” he explained, adding that this commitment was made in council with their coalition partners, including the EFF.

Apart from the electrification project that will soon arrive in the settlement, the MMC highlighted some of the successes they have had, and the plans they have to reduce crime in Zandspruit. “Last time I came here, lots of people were complaining about the rubbish that was lying all over, the dumping in front of the clinic, and the issue of Pikitup taking a long time to collect the rubbish. During a meeting, it was suggested that we should provide a waste skip into which the community can throw their rubbish, and Pikitup can just collect from there,” he recalled, and reminded the community that the waste skip was delivered to Zandspruit within a week after his consultation with Pikitup.

The MMC also encouraged cleanliness and the protection of land that has been earmarked for development.

“It is important to ask for help, because we have announced that the necessary documents have been obtained and the process is underway, but it will be delayed if people are going to invade the land that belongs to the City. Please help us discourage the invaders and tell them that there is a new coalition government in the City of Johannesburg that cares about them,” he appealed.

Land invasion on both private and public properties has been a serious scourge in Zandspruit. However, MMC Knott had some good news about the land issue which she shared during her address about the electrification project. “In order to realise this entire development, we are also looking at purchasing the privately owned land, because Zandspruit consists of some City land and some that is privately owned,” she said, adding that the task has been handed over to the Johannesburg Property Company to revise the value of properties so that the City can purchase them.

“This will allow us to proceed with the full housing development plan for Zandspruit,” she explained.

MMC Knott also criticised the visit of the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and Human Settlement, Dikgang Uhuru Moiloa, who allegedly tried to steal the glory about the electrification project. “I was quite surprised when the MEC came along with representatives from Eskom to shout about this big accomplishment, especially since I’ve been writing to him for over a year, and he has ignored my letters and communications. It’s funny, because we asked them for help in Zandspruit, Malibongwe Ridge and many other sites, but unfortunately never got any feedback, so we decided on our own to have monthly meetings with Eskom for the past year,” she clarified..

She concluded by telling the residents that the project would start in April, with the first phase going to take about six months.