IFP Visits Hostels in Ekurhuleni to Assess Poor State, Hopes to Improve Conditions
- Hostels in Ekurhuleni are in the spotlight for their deplorable state despite promises of a turnaround in service delivery from political parties
- Recently, the Inkatha Freedom Party paid residents at the identified hostels in Katlehong and Vosloorus a visit and recorded their concerns
- In an exclusive with Briefly News, the IFP said it hopes to mobilise intergovernmental efforts to address the squalor conditions
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
JOHANNESBURG - The City of Ekurhuleni has come under the attention of political parties in recent times over the poor living conditions that residents continue to contend with in Katlehong and Vosloorus.
Broken windows, constant water leakages and inconsistent electricity supply have been detrimental to the quality of life for inhabitants at Kwa-Mazibuko, Buyafuthi Kwesine, NCP hostels in Katlehong, and Sotho and Nguni in Vosloorus.
Source: Getty Images
In an exclusive interview, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) Gauteng Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) of Transport in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE), Alderman Alco Ngobese, told Briefly News that his party visited the five hostels to assess the conditions on Saturday, 8 January.
Ngobese was accompanied by the MMC of Transport in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Mlungisi Mabaso, and recorded the concerns and recommendations of the residents at the identified hostels.
PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel!
"The visit was about the fact-finding mission on the living conditions," Ngobese told Briefly News, before describing the key outcomes of the party's engagement with stakeholders, community members, and others on the ground.
"The key outcomes were that people were able to relate the frustration which they encounter daily. It has become important to ensure that we create an enabling environment where issues are tackled together going forward."
Better housing for ordinary citizens
In May last year, the Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance in Gauteng, Mervyn Cirota, revealed that more than 30 families reportedly shared a single toilet in one block at the nearby Thokoza hostel.
To address a similar plight in Katlehong and Vosloorus, Ngobese said his party hopes to conduct visits regularly, as an extension of promises made on the campaign trail before the local government elections on 1 November last year.
Ngobese said the IFP in Gauteng aims to mobilise its coalition partners in the municipal regions where the hostels are located to provide improved housing for ordinary South Africans.
"We will go on these visits on a quarterly basis to check the progress made if any. Through an intergovernmental process, we believe that we will be able to influence the needs of our communities," he said.
IFP tramples on coalition deal with ANC in eThekwini
Elsewhere, Briefly News reported that in another glaring about-turn by the IFP, the party abstained on a vote to confirm the ANC's nominee for council speaker in eThekwini on Monday, 22 November.
The move comes after the IFP previously affirmed that it would cooperate with the ANC in the province's hung municipalities, following another previous decision where it stated that its stance is to have no dealings with the ruling party.
However, it seems the IFP has now made up its mind as its decision to abstain from the vote effectively cost the governing ANC mayoral candidacy in eThekwini, leading to the ANC's hopes being thrown into uncertainty.
Source: Briefly News
