By Cllr Ofentse Madzebatela
DA Chief whip in the City of Tshwane
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane rejects the false claims by African National Congress (ANC), Councillor Joel Masilela blaming the DA for the growth of informal settlements.
Let us be clear: between 2014 and 2019, the ANC’s current coalition partner in the City of Tshwane, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ran a deliberate land invasion program, while some ANC councillors actively led and encouraged illegal land occupations to undermine the former administration.
These actions, not DA policies, fuelled the spread of informal settlements.
The DA in Tshwane is shocked by the desperate antics and political propaganda of the ANC in a ploy to garner voter empathy amid their continued service delivery failures.
The ANC-ActionSA-EFF coalition in the City of Tshwane has bitten off far more than they can chew.
With no better way to deflect attention from their inadequacies, they blame their predecessors.
While the ANC complains about service delivery, the DA delivers solutions.
The ANC’s failure to secure national and provincial land parcels, coupled with their historically weak border management, left Tshwane vulnerable to land invasions.
The city cannot enforce by-laws on land it does not own, yet we have proposed practical steps: transferring unsecured land to municipalities or securing it with proper measures.
While in government, we championed the Informal Settlement Management Policy, currently out for public participation, which introduces systematic solutions, including protected land zones in areas like Atteridgeville, Ga-Rankuwa, and eastern Tshwane, where national and private land is often targeted.
The DA fights for real change while the ANC spreads propaganda.
Our policy offers clear, enforceable ways to manage land invasions and protect Tshwane’s future.
After 31 years of democracy, it is no surprise that South Africans’ lives have not improved—they talk, we act.