DA in Ekurhuleni Welcomes Declaration of 22 Areas as Transitional Informal Settlements in the City
by Cllr. Sinethemba Matiwane — DA Member of the Human Settlements Oversight Committee in Ekurhuleni
Date: 26 August 2022
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
Note to Editors: The following statement is a shortened version of a speech that was delivered by DA Member of the Human Settlements Oversight Committee in Ekurhuleni, Cllr. Sinethemba Matiwane during an Ordinary Council Meeting held on the 25th of August 2022.
Enkosi Somlomo
The Democratic Alliance on behalf of the residence are overjoyed with this request brought to Council to declare 22 areas in the City as Transitional Informal Settlement’s, in order to comply and bring it in line with the SPLUMA By-law.
This is huge step and a leaf taken out of the back-to-basics programme initiative by the Executive Mayor, Alderwoman, Tania Campbell. It explains what the Multi-Party Coalition Government stands for, it speaks directly to the objectives of the coalition government to ensure that every community has access to clean running water, a hygienic environment to live and play and is a step forward towards reclaiming public spaces, ensuring safer communities and that we get the basics right at the foundation to bring opportunities to our local communities.
We the DA believe in Federalism, which means the devolution of power to the people on the ground, the true manifestation of “we the people shall govern”, by ensuring that services are brought closer to the people that we serve.
In the past we saw how spatial planning was used to place black people far away from economic opportunities, good schools and hospitals, resulting in their hard-earned monies being spent on transport and nothing else to develop themselves. These structures still pervade our society today, further marginalising, the already poor and struggling black majority.
We are now 28 years into democracy and when we look at our achievements as an apparently free society, we see more black people marginalised when we were supposed to reap the benefits of the realisation of the promises outlined in the Freedom Charter. Instead of creating highly developed and integrated societies, years of ANC corruption and maladministration saw the mushrooming of informal settlements on the outskirts of our towns and cities.
Now, with the introduction of Transitional Informal Settlements we will see residents enjoying the full use of the area where they reside for recreation, childcare, churches, spaza shops, and the City can also now provide Mobile Clinics to ensure better health care. A simple solution to development, which could not be achieved in almost 28 years…
Surely this is good news considering the age or the years of existence of majority of these informal settlements, you can call them the forgotten people by the ANC administration, only good for wearing t-shirts and signing ballot papers.
We will no longer sit on the side lines and allow the politically elite of this country to exile black people to the periphery of society.
In closing xa ndivala, this program will enhance access to economic and social opportunities and will go a long way inbuilding habitable and sustainable communities which means isidima somtu omnya siyikhatalele. Enkosi
Enkosi
Cllr. Sinethemba Matiwane
DA Member of the Human Settlements Oversight Committee in Ekurhuleni
082 390 4839
