Spirited ANC Tshwane Regional Secretary George Matjila emphasised that the ANC in Tshwane still has the responsibility to deliver a memorandum entailing the mandate of the people of Tshwane to the municipality, even when the ANC is part of the ruling coalition government in the battle-weary City of Tshwane.
“We were not bluffing, the demands of the people of Tshwane remain the same even when the ANC is in the Government of Local Unity,” said Matjila as he led the “Mass Walk to Deliver People’s Mandate” march to the City of Tshwane headquarters known as Tshwane House.
ANC Youth League chairperson Collen Malatji, MEC Nkomo- Rakehoko, Women’s League Secretary General Nokthula Nqaba and the party’s Secretary General Fikile Mbalula were also among the party’s top brass that led the enthusiastic marching crowd to Tshwane House.
Tshwane streets were blocked with black, yellow and green colours as more than 10 000 supportters including residents of Tshwane support the march to Tshwane House to deliver the memorandum to Tshwane mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya.
Dr Moya sign and received the memorandum.
“We are always going to be on the side of the people and the hundred days plan of Action aimed at revitalising Tshwane must address the people’s issues, and if that is not the case, then all those who are in charge of the GLU will be treated the same way we treated the DA-led Coalition government in Tshwane,” enthused Matjila.
“One of our immediate demands is that 20 000 people must be employed in the Extended Public Works Programme (Tlhaba-Tlhaba) with immediate effect because our people are going hungry now and can’t depend on the R370 SRD grant,” said Matjila as he in the process pointed out that the national government is supporting all municipalities, including Tshwane, with programmes like Tlhaba-Tlhaba, which are aimed at alleviating poverty.
“When the ANC was in charge of Tshwane from 1998 until 2016 the city was a construction site and we want to return the city to its former glory,” he said.
He said though the present GLU might have its own priorities, they as the ANC will show the municipality that it must first attend to the priorities of the residents of the City of Tshwane,” explained Matjila.
He said the immediate issues he is referring to are hunger among the residents of Tshwane, the removal of waste consistently, cleaning of parks, lack of streetlights, and that the four -year shortage of water in Ikageng Section, Mamelodi East must be accommodated in the hundred days plan and be resolved immediately.
Asked whether the march was in actual fact a celebration of the ANC’s victory over the DA as it managed to unseat then Mayor Cilliers Brink, Matjila responded as follows:
“Look, we can’t celebrate anything because our people are hungry and not working, and we are marching in solidarity with them to present their demands to the municipality.”
Tshwane Barekisi Forum General Secretary Mary Ngema, whose organisation was also part of the march, told Tshwane Talks that since the ANC was deposed from power by the DA-led Coalition in 2016, things haven’t been good for them as street hawkers.
“The ANC is the only party that recognises us, and we hope the new mayor will also give us the recognition that we deserve and not ignore us because as street hawkers we are contributing a lot to the economy of Tshwane,” said Ngema.
Johanna Masemola, from Tshwane Barekisi Forum Women’s Desk, emphasised that their aim as women hawkers is to meet the women who is in authority in the City of Tshwane so that she would listen to their concerns on a woman-to- woman basis.
She expressed hope that as the mayor is now a woman, their demands would be adhered to.
Ramodike Morema from Unified South African Traders said the situation in Tshwane is in a mess for street hawkers, yet in the past they used to work well with the ANC government in Tshwane regarding the eradication of crime and keeping the city clean.
“Foreigners have now taken over the fruit and vegetable market in Tshwane because there are no systems in place to regulate as to who should be allowed to trade at the market, and another problem is that Home Affairs officials do arrest these foreigners for being in the country illegally but they are soon released after paying a R3000 bribe instead of being deported,” said the hawker as he in the process appealed to taxi drivers to stop interfering in the affairs of hawkers because at the moment the said drivers place their own people at trading spots like at the Van der Walt Street corner without following proper procedure.
“We hope that the new mayor will help us sort out our problems,” said Morema.
An informal settlement resident from Block 61 Percy Dennison complained about the ignorance they have always suffered under the previous mayors of Tshwane regarding development of their area and allocation of permanent stands to all the informal settlement dwellers of Block 61.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula told journalists at the march that the event was about the people of Tshwane’s mandate and espoused the spirit of the revolution and also of what the ANC really is about and should be obsessed about.
“We have submitted our mandate to the GLU in Tshwane and we demand that the GLU must serve our people diligently, and to the national government we say though we are prepared to work with you, when our children are poisoned, please protect us in terms of the law,” said Mbalula while calling for a shutdown of all foreign-owned spaza shops to curb the scourge of foodborne illnesses especially among children who are patrons of the said spaza shops.
He delved into the issue of small businesses and especially spaza shops being preserved only for local South Africans as is the norm in all African states whereby foreigners are by law not allowed to own small businesses.
“If the government doesn’t address the issue of poisonous food at schools, unemployment, spaza shops, hunger and land, then we as the youth will storm the Union Buildings in December this year and take over the government,” said boisterous ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji, much to the appreciation of the party’s supporters.
Malatji also urged the gathered crowd to immediately go out and shut down all foreign-owned spaza shops as they were illegal entities and selling drugs to the youth of South Africa.
“This capital city will be restored to its former glory, and we have the capacity to do that, but residents must always hold us accountable to the mandate that we have received today,” said City of Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya as she received the memorandum from the ANC brigade.
“Please wait until the 31st of January 2025 and you will receive a written response as to how we have delivered on the mandate that you have submitted to us,” said the mayor.
Full copy of a memorandum:
