JOHANNESBURG – The ANC is in terminal decline and while the organisation cannot be fixed, Joburg can be saved, says Joburg DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille.
The ruling party has lost its ability to govern and it’s been so for some time, she said.
It’s a party that’s ‘turned on itself’ with members’ in-fighting, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s lauding of DA-run municipalities, instead of taking pause to reflect on its shortcomings.
According to Zille, Ramaphosa’s words should have prompted action but instead triggered paranoia.
“What it has done is create a witch-hunt against the president for telling the truth.
“Far from asking what we can do to fix it, they ask, how can we get rid of this president. They never look at themselves and say, ‘we have a problem’.
“The ANC has got none of the three legs on which a coherent organisation is built,” Zille said.
“They do not have a coherent political philosophy, the organisation is in chaos and they cannot attract talent. What they have done is blow themselves up on patronage.”
Zille said voters are no longer willing to be taken for granted.
“The ANC are so used to getting support, election after election that they don’t think they have to change anything. They think voters will vote for them in perpetuity, and suddenly, the voters are saying, no.
“That’s what they have been doing for 30 years and they are finding it doesn’t wash forever when you have collapsing services.”
For Zille, the starting point in Joburg is to restore the basics.
“When you get elected to local government, the job is to do the things that the Constitution says you have to do – and that is deliver basic services.”
Water would be her top priority, Zille said.
“There’s no single basic service that is as important as water. For 30 years, there’s been no maintenance and no development of new infrastructure. That is why there isn’t enough bulk water.
“The first order of business will be to invest in the maintenance of the infrastructure. It’s not going to solve the problem overnight, but we’ve got to have a plan and we’ve got to provide water to residents in the meantime.”
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