Hon Speaker, Hon members, fellow South Africans. Mr President, during your maiden state of the nation address, you quoted Bra Hugh Masekela's song, asking the country to send you. South Africans indeed sent you. Now, with very little to show as the leader of this nation, you want South Africans to go to sleep and dream. For 25 years, Mr President, residents of Makana Local Municipality have been dreaming for a better life but
their dreams have been shattered at every turn. The President himself was recently in Makhanda to celebrate Freedom Day. The traffic lights were not working for months but were fixed in haste, in anticipation of the arrival of the first citizen of the Republic of South Africa.
The citizens of the City of Saints have been subjected to constant threats of electricity cuts by Eskom due to the municipality's inability to pay their bills, with continuous defaults on payment arrangements made with the power utility. Most residents pay their monthly service bills in Grahamstown Mr President, yet find themselves having to remove their own rubbish because municipal workers just do not pitch for work. The residents sometimes have to drink water with traces of the deadly E.coli bacteria, this being a result of the poor state of our water reticulation system. The City of Saints is now the city of potholes, with illegal dump sites, rubbish strewn in every street, uncaring management, maladministration and downright corruption.
IsiXhosa:
Ugqirha u-Zweli Mkhize nomama u-Pamela Tshwete babeziyele eRhini bazibonela intlalo embi yababtu baseRhini.
English:
Sadly hon members, the architect and initiator of the Makana rot was promoted by this ruling government and today he is with us as an hon Member of Parliament.
However, the same cannot be said about the tenure as the DA government on the other side of the historic Fish River valley. During the 2016 Local Government Elections, the voters of Nelson Mandela Bay chose to vote for change by electing a leadership of clean governance and transparency [Applause]. In a short space of 10 months after the DA-led coalition government assumed office; in Nelson Mandela Bay we were voted the second most trusted metro in the country. This is according to the SA Customer Satisfaction Index, as opposed to the second last position our predecessors comfortably occupied. During the two financial years of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, we managed to spend 100% of our allocation of the Urban Settlement Development Grant funding. This led to National Treasury further allocating
R170 million and R200 million in appreciation of a job so well done. Unfortunately, matters are less positive with the current leadership in Nelson Mandela Bay. A week before their financial year end, they have only managed to spend 62% of the Urban Settlement Development Grant funding and only 50% of the capital expenditure, disgraceful.
An Integrated Public Transport System which was meant for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, at a cost of R2 billion was abandoned by the then ANC-led government. After 18 months of assuming office, the DA-led coalition got those buses on the road. [Applause] In an effort to make the city a lot safer, we employed and trained 114 metro police, as well as introduced a ghost squad whose primary mandate was to curb bad or illegal driving in and around the city. Before we left the city hall, people of Nelson Mandela Bay felt a lot safer. We spared no effort in fighting corruption, not only in words but through action as well, because where the DA governs, we do not tolerate or promote people that steal from the poor.
IsiXhosa:
Umve umntu esithi iimpuku azityiwa,bhuti Sakhi, kodwa zivele ngemisila emlonyeni.[Kwaqhwatywa]
English:
A number of municipal officials identified for wrong doing, were either fired, charged or placed on suspension. Some of those officials have been brought back by the current administration, obviously, to let them continue their wrong doing by picking up from where they left off. Indeed, the good saying says "birds of a feather flock together".
I have spoken to a number of residents in Nelson Mandela Bay and all of them including business recall the realities of the DA- led coalition, and are calling for its return. Finally hon members, join me in wishing my daughter who is sitting up in the gallery, she turned 17 years yesterday. Happy birthday Ngcolo, I love you my daughter [Applause].
IsiXhosa:
Ngaloo mazwi malungu ahloniphekileyo, lo mthendevu wasemaMpondomiseni, ithole leenkuzi zamaKrancolo, ooMgema, ooMsiza, ooMbuyeni, uyatshaya. Enkosi [Kwaqhwatywa].