Mr Pebane Moteka - EFF

P-Moteka

What is your political background? How did you become involved in politics and particularly, what drew you to your specific party?

I have been involved in labour politics since 1995. I was a shop steward as a member of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) for over 19 years. In 2013 I had to resign from NUMSA as we were establishing the EFF. My departure from NUMSA was not a matter of differences with the union and its political outlook and I still, even to date, support the union. The reason I chose the EFF as my political home was that during my labour movement years I had always preferred the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and its ideology. The EFF in its formation and even currently is more like the PAC in its policies and outlook.

What does your job as an MP entail?

I am the ear of the community as a Member of Parliament and I also refer citizen’s challenges to the correct channels if they are above my means to assist. For instance, in kwa-Dukuza Municipality (KwaZulu-Natal) I recently dealt with an eviction of an elderly lady by the municipality. She is a pensioner and she was removed from her home without alternative accommodation being provided. A community hall was then built over her house. Even after the municipality had built a bunch of new houses she was still left out of the provision of housing. I will be approaching the MEC for Human Settlements in KZN in this regard because the old lady was currently renting a dwelling with her social grant.

What are your thoughts about the Fifth Parliament so far?

I have found that MPs are more about speaking around matters rather than providing solutions. Officials seem to rather prefer to want to entertain friendships and associations over providing services, and there is a protectionist tendency amongst comrades of particular parties as well.

What constituency area have you been assigned to you by your party? What is most interesting about your constituency work so far?

I have been assigned a constituency in the Joe Gqabi Municipality in the Eastern Cape. There are continuous challenges at the Empilisweni Hospital in this area. As recent as the week of 20 February 2016 the x-ray machine had not been functional and patients had to be transferred to Umlamli Regional Hospital after many hours of waiting. The road between Umlawuli and Empilisweni is not tarred and it is quite a long distance for patients in certain conditions to be travelling on a gravel road. As a result people of Sterkspruit continue to embark on violent service delivery protests because of such issues. Moreover the people of Sterkspruit have also formed their own civic movement.

*At the time of publishing this blog, Mr Moteka was assigned the Joe Gqabi Municipality. He has now been assigned to the Kuruman Constituency office in the Northern Cape.

What are you most passionate about - this applies both in a political/professional arena as well as personally.

My biggest passion is the upliftment of the previously disadvantaged which is why I work specifically with the most rural of constituencies. Furthermore, I use my own personal money to fund sports tournaments in my community and in December 2014 I paid for the repainting of a school.

What would your message to South Africa be?

The people of South Africa have to look forward and prepare for the future of their children. As important as history is, South Africans have to give another political party a chance that could really change their lives, as the EFF has shown to be doing without even being in power. As an example in Marikana Ms Nokulunga Sonti, an EFF MP, has been looking after the children of the slain miners since 2012 to date, and that is the kind of selfless leadership that could be found in the EFF.

To learn more about this Member, see his profile page here.

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