Ekurhuleni Mayor chooses Nkandla’s tea party as city crumbles
by Ald Tania Campbell — DA Leader in Ekurhuleni
Date: 09 February 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
It is a sad day for the residents and businesses of the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), as the ANC-appointed Executive Mayor, Cllr Mzwandile Masina, chose to jet off to the Nkandla Tea Party, while residents across Ekurhuleni had to endure rampant power outages, flooding, non-collection of refuse removal and intermittent water outages.
It is unacceptable that the ANC-appointed Mayor would prioritise spending time with the likes of Julius Malema and defiant former president, Jacob Zuma, while the residents in his city spend weeks in darkness. Clearly, Mayor Masina has more of an appetite for tea than leadership.
Not only did ANC-Mayor Masina leave residents of the city in the dark, he blatantly ignored the calls for assistance from local councillors, who requested his intervention, following hours of total silence from the Energy Department officials and his of Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Water, Energy and Sanitation, Cllr Tiisetso Nketle. Perhaps Mayor Masina forgot his phone on ‘Flight Mode’, following the estimated R70 000 helicopter trip to Nkandla.
While Masina sips tea and Nketle abandoned her duties, it was the dedication and the determination of the DA that relentlessly made use of every avenue at its disposal to update residents across the city regarding the various service delivery issues and estimated restoration times.
Unfortunately, the disregard shown by the ANC-led Coalition government in the City of Ekurhuleni left everyone in the dark.
The DA believes, residents should never be subjected to such disrespect from their government. This is not the first time the ANC Mayor Masina has shown the residents and businesses contempt and disdain.
The constant power outages across the city can no longer be tolerated. Many businesses are on the brink of collapse, while residents can no longer afford to stay afloat due to the constant household losses they experience.
Refuse collection has come to a complete standstill in most areas due to landfill sites closing and contractors not been paid. I have to wonder if the refuse was collected at Nkandla, and yet our Mayor is sitting playing mediator and having tea.
The people of Ekurhuleni deserve better than a defiant Mayor, who constantly choose his political alliances over the needs of the residents and businesses of Ekurhuleni. As a city, we cannot continue to operate and function in this manner and, as the DA, we will be pushing for the removal of the ANC-appointed Executive Mayor. Communities are fed-up and we stand with them.
Enough is enough. The time for change is now.
Ald Tania Campbell
DA Leader in Ekurhuleni
