DA-run Midvaal continues to make progress despite ANC and EFF

* The following remarks were made on 6-7-2016 by DA Mayoral Candidate in Midvaal, Bongani Baloyi, during a campaign visit to Sicelo and Silahliwe Informal Settlements. Photos can be found here.

Today’s door-to-door visit to the Sicelo township and Silahlwiwe Informal Settlement revealed that the DA has made progress in improving access to water and sanitation for residents in the poor areas of Midvaal. However, more needs to be done to assist communities here and we are ready, committed and able to bring services to more people in this community.

I invited residents to share their concerns with me and several residents today voiced their complaints for formalised housing which has been an apex priority during my tenure as Executive Mayor where I implemented the following:

• The handing over of more than 1000 title deeds to residents in Sicelo that will allow them to leverage their properties in order to attain funding for education and small businesses;
• The spending of R50million on general projects across wards 1, 6, 8, and 10, which are the areas where disadvantaged communities are located;
• The building of more RDP houses in Sicelo to accommodate residents who formerly resided in the shacks of Silahliwe Informal Settlement;
• The deployment of a housing formalization plan which has included a geotechnical study before the construction of new housing commences, which has already been approved by council; and
• The completed construction of an early development centre in Sicelo that assists young children with learning from early stages as well teaches them to live productive healthy lives by having access to a gym in the centre.

To continue making progress, we will ensure that service delivery and the construction of dignified housing remains a priority for the residents of Sicelo and Silahliwe. Our first port of call is to ensure that the current temporary sanitation solutions we have for informal settlement residents are improved to permanent toilets.

Secondly, we aim to expeditiously complete houses for residents that will continue to benefit from the basic services offered by the Midvaal Local Municipality, which is the best performing in Gauteng according to the Statistician General.

Unlike the ANC and EFF who employ violence and intimidation to try coax voters, the DA in Midvaal has a proven track record of service delivery and putting residents first. We are an honest government that listens, responds and take positive action to improve the lives of our residents.

We intend to continue making progress and improve our residents’ access to services even further after the local government elections on the 3^rd of August.

• (The statements in this report are that of the Democratic Alliance and not necessarily of MooiVaal Media. Editor – Vaalweekblad & Ster)