Tshwane incumbent and mayoral candidate, ANC, Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa,
by SIMBA RUSHWAYA
PRETORIA – As the 2016 municipal elections draw closer, major political players have upped their tempo in a bid to win the hearts and votes of the electorate.
Commentators say the plebiscite will be closely- contested especially between the ruling African National Congress (ANC), opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and new kid on the block, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The ANC is set to hold its Gauteng manifesto at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, while the opposition DA has been on aggressive campaign trail, particularly in Tshwane where its mayoral candidate is Solly Msimanga, on Monday launched his election poster in the capital where he faces a battle against the incumbent mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa.
Msimanga and Western Cape Premier Hellen Zille, last Sunday painted Tshwane blue with a campaign blitz that took them to a number of communities to share Msimanga’s “vision for a renewed City of Tshwane run by an honest and responsive DA government.”
On Saturday, ANC Gauteng chairperson, Paul Mashatile, will lead the ruling party’s campaign blitz at the FNB Stadium, where prospective representatives in the council elections for the liberation movement will converge.
Tshwane spokesperson for ANC, Tebogo Joala, is upbeat about the party’s chances in the August 3 elections.
“Our preoccupation is to focus on resolving issues that are inflecting our people now and ensure that our interaction with our people translate into retaining Tshwane in the forthcoming elections.
“We have seen political parties come and go and we are hearing rhetoric and empty promises from all over the place. We are a liberation movement and political party hard at work changing the lives of the people on a daily basis.
“We are still convinced that the ANC remain the only instrument available in the hands of the poor to change their lives for the better,” says Joala.
DA election campaigns in Tshwane
Msimanga says the blemish on the ANC administration was “rampant corruption” and “arrogance.”
“We are saying to the electorate vote for change and eradicate corruption that is currently gripping the City of Tshwane. A lot of funds are being misplaced by the current administrators and that is what the DA and I want to change. “The DA will turn Tshwane into a world class metro if we come into power,” adds Msimanaga.
EFF communications department this week announced that if voted into power, they would take land from the white farmers “the Zimbabwean way.”
“It’s ethically evil to pay for land that was taken through a crime against humanity. The EFF government will never pay for stolen land. Joburg underspent its human settlement grant by R1,3 billion mainly because they could’nt agree on sale condition with landowners.”
EFF Comander-In-Chief Julius Malema
EFF has identified Roodepoort and Orange Farm as having great potential for farming.
“Until the resolution of land, we remain a colonised people. Land is the only true reconciliation and a lasting peace. The EFF is prepared to fight for the allocation of land till the highest court in the land. In 2015 the City of Tshwane put 81 properties and prime land on auction despite shortage of land to build houses for the poor,” adds EFF.
– Guardian
