Herman Mashaba Vows to Collapse Municipal Entities if Elected Joburg Mayor, South Africans React
- ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has explained what he plans to do if he becomes the new City of Johannesburg Mayor
- Mashaba said that he plans to save the people of Johannesburg money and time by dissolving the city's municipal entities
- Social media users weighed in on Mashaba's statement, as well as his chances of beating Helen Zille for the post
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG - Herman Mashaba has vowed to collapse municipal entities if he becomes the new mayor of the City of Johannesburg.
Mashaba, the ActionSA leader, was elected as the party’s mayoral candidate for the City of Gold. The Democratic Alliance has elected Helen Zille to contest the post as well, while the African National Congress has yet to announce its candidate.
Mashaba, who is a former Johannesburg mayor, is confident that he can restore the city to its former glory if elected and detailed some of his plans.
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Mashaba promises to collapse municipal entities
Speaking to Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma on the Politics Weekly podcast, Mashaba said he would dissolve the boards to which entities such as Joburg Water and City Power report.
Mashaba said that he would have senior managers, who report directly to the city manager, instead.
“City entities like Joburg Water, City Power and so forth, I’ve got to collapse them. I’m promising this to the people of Johannesburg,” he said.
The ActionSA leader said that this would save money and also speed up the turnaround time to respond to service delivery complaints.
“You are wasting money by paying people who are not adding any value. They delay the process. It is going to speed up our attention to the issues facing our residents,” he said.
He added that he wanted to promise the people of Johannesburg that he was going to present a report to discuss the collapse of the entities as soon as he could in council, adding that it was urgent because he was not going to allow cadres to sabotage him.
Source: Getty Images
South Africans react to Mashaba’s statement
Social media users weighed in on Mashaba’s statement, sharing mixed reactions to it. Some noted the battle between Mashaba and Zille.
John Msiza said:
“Helen Zille aims to tackle Johannesburg’s decay, corruption, and reform challenges. Zille is praised for reviving Cape Town after ANC mismanagement. Johannesburg faces deep decay, corruption, and massive reform needs. Zille’s Joburg bid raises questions on tenure, workforce, and budget.”
Suresh Parus noted:
“He didn't do it all these years. He wants to challenge his ex-boss.”
Vasuthavan Govender asked:
“And what happens after these entities collapse?”
David Mahlangu said:
“Mashaba will never defeat the ANC, DA, and MK. Never ever.”
Mavis Scheepers-Boberg asked:
“Well, why did he resign before his term in office was finished? He could have fixed some problems, but sat back and allowed Joburg to become a big problem?”
Portia Ndlovu stated:
“I hope he comes back and deals with them like before.”
Mashaba says Helen Zille is a walkover
Briefly News reported that Mashaba weighed in on facing Helen Zille in the race to be the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg.
The ActionSA leader said that the Democratic Alliance's candidate was no threat, and it would be a walkover competing against her.
Social media users reacted to Mashaba's comments about Zille, sharing mixed opinions about who would win the mayoral chain.
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Source: Briefly News
