Ramaphosa not satisfied with local conditions

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa was in electioneering mode in East London yesterday, declaring his unhappiness with the conditions of Duncan Village residents and saying he would be hot on the heels of the local municipal leadership for change in the area.

Ramaphosa, in his capacity as ANC president and leading the party’s national executive committee members, visited several areas in the Buffalo City region as part of the party’s drive to assess progress made for the term ending next year.

In Duncan Village, Ramaphosa visited the homestead of unsung struggle veteran Nothemba Fazzie, 91.

In January, Ramaphosa visited Fazzie and promised to extend her tiny RDP house. The house is currently being extended and is set to be completed by January.

Ramaphosa said: “In the rally (in East London on January 8) I spoke about Mama Fazzie’s contribution to the struggle. When I visited her homestead, I was not happy with the situation she lives under, and decided that we needed to do something. I am happy that our comrades here took up the task to make Mama Fazzie’s life a lot better.”

However, Ramaphosa also said he was not pleased with the conditions that Duncan Village residents live in.

“We must improve the lives of our people. When I came in here and looked around, I was not happy with what I saw. I want us to turn the lives of Duncan Village upside down, so that we can create better conditions for our people. Our people living in this informal settlement must be provided with houses.

“The plans are already under way. The mayor (Xola Pakati) was briefing me that they are finalising agreements with provincial and national governments to build houses for Duncan Village,” Ramaphosa said.

After visiting Fazzie, Ramaphosa went to address ANC volunteers at the local Gompo Hall, where the NGO Al Imdaad Foundation had donated food parcels and house appliances to Duncan Village’s fire victims. About 100 shacks were gutted by a blaze in the area two weeks ago, leaving close to 1000 families homeless.

“I will be hot on the heels of (Buffalo City) Municipality leadership to make sure that the lives of Duncan Village residents change for the better. I will come back here to check if there is progress,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa also visited Mdantsane, where he addressed residents.