Service delivery affected by corruption
Ramaphosa warns against theft of public resources and encourages economic growth
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that service delivery would continue to be compromised if corruption and theft of public resources was tolerated.
Ramaphosa was speaking in Mangaung while leading a delegation of ANC national officials and senior leaders as they embarked on the party’s Thuma Mina campaign trail throughout the Free State between Sunday and yesterday.
Ramaphosa said the rising cost of living, including food and fuel price hikes would only go down when the country’s economy started to grow.
He said despite the billions of dollars pledged in investments by captains of industry at the recent investment summit, bad governance remained a key challenge that had to be addressed if the country was to be effective in serving the people.
“There are things that we have to address first in order to be able to grow our economy, like theft and corruption in our state and the many companies belonging to the state like Eskom and Prasa.
“We have given (Co-operative Governance) Minister Zweli Mkhize the task to work with municipalities and assist those that need assistance to ensure that councillors and mayors work for the country.
“If we find that our mayors and councillors are also stealing money, they must be dragged out,” Ramaphosa said.
ANC deputy general secretary Jessie Duarte has slammed those who tried to wipe away the governing party’s track record of delivery since it took over in 1994.
Speaking in Bronville in Welkom, where she visited the coloured community in the area, Duarte said people who were frustrated with the pace of delivery by government wrongly ignored that the ANC had made strides in transforming the country.
This came as community members who attended confronted the ANC leadership over the snail’s pace in the delivery of basic services in the area, including housing.
“The ANC has delivered to a large extent in this country. Don’t take that away from us because you are angry now. I came here in 1991 with comrade (Nelson) Mandela. There has been some change since then. But today the gentleman (a community member) is so angry that he forgot what has happened. What is broken must be fixed, not talked about. What we cannot fix we must come and tell you,” Duarte said.
She had been warned that she was not welcome to campaign for the ANC in the area, which is considered a DA stronghold.
“We have been sent by the NEC because after 25 years we too are tired of listening to the same drivel that comes from people who pretend to know what the community’s problems are. When I arrived here the message I got was that you did not want me here in Bronville and I said “Ek gaan daar” (I’m going there). There is no place which is a no-go area.”
If we find that our mayors and councillors are also stealing money, they must be dragged out