We aren’t fooled by ANC promises close to elections

I CAN’T agree more that the ANC needs to win back its support of the public (“We will get it right – ANC”, The Star, October 12). It has lost so much support, not only among the black middle class but also at the grass-roots level.

The stories of corruption and service delivery failures are common cause in many townships. They lead to violent protests like the one we saw in Kya Sand on Monday.

It has taken 20 years for the ANC to realise it needs to clean up its act and deal with corruption within the government. However, state employees are the first targets to face lifestyle audits and I read nothing about lifestyle audits for the ANC’s political leaders deployed to top government positions nationally. The ANC should lead by example, putting its top politicians through lifestyle audits first.

One can’t help but ask the rhetorical question: Why is this only being mentioned now, months before the municipal elections?

Even die-hard fans of the ANC will not be fooled that this is nothing but an electioneering tactic. Under the ANC, South African crime statistics are the exact opposite of the rand/dollar exchange rate – climbing/dropping at the same steady pace.

Our government exercises little control or caution over the economy and the volatility of the rand, and the direct consequences of this are job losses and a chain reaction of social problems without a safety net in place.

Yet the ANC believes it will win back the confidence of the voters by beefing up its election machinery by selecting mayoral candidates in strategic municipalities, but what about the municipalities not regarded as strategic by the ANC? I can think of many in North West. Under the DA, service would be equally delivered to all residents with efficiency and accountability. We aim to create a safe environment for our people and businesses where opportunities will materialise into better living conditions for all.

The DA mayoral candidate for Joburg will not be a one-man show. We will lead a team of dedicated men and women to ensure we deliver. DA’s spokesman for public safety Joburg