Attack on DA shows ignorance of Joburg politics

Peter Bruce’s attack on the DA in general and mayor Herman Mashaba in particular in “A time for a little horse trading and greedy decisions” (May 19) displayed an appalling ignorance of what the true situation in Johannesburg was like after the 2016 municipal elections.

The majority of the city’s voters had rejected the ANC. It wanted change. The DA saw this clearly, as did the EFF.

For the EFF to have gone into any kind of arrangement with the ANC to enable it to form an administration would have been a betrayal of its support base. For the DA to have remained in opposition was an option, but not to have attempted to form a coalition to govern the city would have been unforgivable at that time.

The DA formed a coalition with the Freedom Front Plus, ACDP, IFP and UDM. The EFF is not a member of that coalition. It did not want any positions on the mayoral committee or to be chairpersons of portfolio committees. It only supports the coalition on a case-by-case basis.

It is thus fair to say that the position of the coalition is a precarious one and it requires skilful management. That it has survived thus far is an achievement for which Mashaba should be praised rather than condemned.

The backing of the EFF has not been without benefit to the city.

It has seen the formation of an anticorruption unit headed by former Hawks officer Maj Gen Shadrack Sibiya. The people being investigated are the officials appointed by the ANC under its watch.

In order to renew and uplift the decayed inner city, an innovative approach is now in place. The city has taken control of more than 100 buildings that have been made available to the private sector to build affordable rental accommodation for students and workers.

The successful tenderers are small businesses. The banking sector will assist with finance. The inner city will soon be a construction site, which will create thousands of new jobs and impart skills to those employed.

The coalition is also rolling out opportunity centres in the townships and in some suburbs, where people with skills can register and the city will endeavour to direct them to where jobs can be found.

Skilful management of the relationship required a concession to the EFF, and that explains why insourcing of security guards has taken place. Remember the saying that one should keep one’s friends close and one’s enemies closer.

The message to Bruce is that the arrangement with the EFF was not entered into simply as a “greedy decision”. It was done for the best of reasons, namely to rid the city of corruption and get some growth going in the local economy.

To imply that Mashaba might join the EFF is malicious hogwash. His free-market and unashamedly capitalist views are at considerable variance with the policies of the EFF and would not allow him to do so as a matter of principle. It cannot happen.

I have assurances from a highly placed member of the DA federal executive that a coalition with the EFF is not on the table.

John Mendelsohn, DA councillor, City of Joburg

These public servants lack civility

Last weekend, our corruption-tainted former president, Jacob Zuma, was walking through the Gateway shopping centre in Umhlanga. I watched in amazement as his bodyguard entourage surrounded him and physically pushed the public out of the way so that he did not have to walk at a slower pace.

As they approached, the bodyguards were heard shouting, “Move out of the way!” Anyone who did not heed the call was shoved out of the way.

This is no different to government ministers’ motorcades of black SUVs which force the public off the road so that the minister is not delayed in any way.

My question is, how can it be justified for a civil servant to get preferential treatment like this? As President Cyril Ramaphosa recently stated, ministers are here to serve the people. If they are paid from taxpayers’ money, surely they need to be reminded that they are no more special than any other South African citizen?

Ministers should be driving Toyota Corollas without motorcades and bodyguards. They must learn to leave home earlier to get to meetings on time, as we ordinary citizens do. What on earth makes these civil servants so special?

Derek Krummeck, Umhlanga

Dismal schools won’t grow profs

The article in last Sunday’s paper, “Varsities battle to find black profs”, should not raise eyebrows. After all, during the struggle the ANC proclaimed “liberation before education” and even after a generation the same mindset has shown little improvement.

Education receives the biggest budget allocation, but the department is administratively dysfunctional because of cadre deployment. Standards have been compromised and, as a result, many black academics filling posts are from other African countries.

Those calling for transformation who destroy schools and libraries and disrupt classes limit the opportunities of black students to advance to academic level and contribute meaningfully to our future.

At almost every tier of education in formerly black schools, a good percentage of teachers are not qualified, and the South African Democratic Teachers Union is more of a hindrance than a help.

Real transformation will only take place when training colleges set high standards and school inspectors are reinstated, ensuring subjects taught from entry level are clearly understood.

Until the basics are implemented, progress will be at a snail’s pace.

Ted O’Connor, Albertskroon