Damning Report shows Angelo Informal Residents robbed of Dignity and Right to Housing
by Cllr Ashley Hoods — DA Ward 33 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 1 June 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni has lambasted the ANC and its coalition partners, after the report on irregular expenditure on the Angelo Informal Settlement by the Human Settlement Department served in Council.
As the DA, we have been vocal on this matter since 2016, and fought for the rights of the community of Angelo Informal settlement. This after 565 shacks were built at a cost of around R23 million.
Instead, these newly built structures were dismantled and stolen as the ANC-led City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) failed to provide adequate security to protect these structures. As the DA, in 2018 we demanded an investigation by council, into this matter.
Finally, the damning report brought to council, highlights the utter disregard for the right to dignity. The report highlights findings of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, coupled with poor supply chain management processes and gross negligence. These are matters the DA raised at various government levels since 2016.
The ANC and its coalition partners have collectively failed in their Constitutional mandate of providing adequate housing for deserving and qualifying beneficiaries in Angelo Informal. Instead, due to poor governance, all the ANC has achieved is to increase the number of informal settlements across the City and robbed people of their dignity. In addition, the failure to provide adequate housing adds pressure to neighbouring communities and we see an increase in protest action.
Despite the many warnings from DA councillors and the many objections received from communities and business stakeholders in the area, the department proceeded with haste to push this establishment through. Instead, this failed project is nothing but an eyesore, and the ANC-led City effectively wasted roughly R23 million.
We will continue to push for consequence management and ensure disciplinary action is applied against those responsible for implementing this project.
As the DA, we are serious about improving the lives of all and will continue to fight for the right to dignity. Residents deserve better and we will not stop holding the failing ANC and its coalition partners to account. It is time for change. We will be escalating this matter to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), we cannot allow poor governance to become the norm.
#Time4Change
*Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)
Cllr Ashley Hoods
DA Ward 33 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
