×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

Steenhuisen promises to bring Midvaal success to other failing municipalities

Aphiwe Deklerk Political reporter
DA leader John Steenhuisen said his party will focus on winning small towns in the elections. File photo.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said his party will focus on winning small towns in the elections. File photo.
Image: Werner Hills

DA leader John Steenhuisen says his party will turn around Metsimaholo municipality in a similar way it did with Midvaal municipality in Gauteng. 

Metsimaholo is one of the municipalities that is expected to be highly contested in the upcoming local government elections. 

The Free State municipality, based in Sasolburg, is currently run by the ANC after the party clawed its way back into power when the municipality was dissolved for failing to pass a budget. 

The ANC had lost control of the municipality during the 2016 local government elections. 

“Metsimaholo is in big trouble. Driving around your town ...  things are bad here, even the potholes have got their own potholes.

“The sewage is running down the streets and all the while this is happening, our children have got no jobs. There is no future for our families. We feel scared in our own homes,” said Steenhuisen. 

He said the police did not protect citizens and the DA needed to change that. 

Steenhuisen said the party's manifesto showed how good the party was at getting things done.

The DA did a turnabout on the election posters they put up in Phoenix.
The DA did a turnabout on the election posters they put up in Phoenix.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu

“Just across the river is a municipality called Midvaal, the best-run municipality in Gauteng. It's got the lowest unemployment in Gauteng. It's got the highest access to services in Gauteng; it's got the cleanest town in Gauteng and you know why it's like that? It's because it's governed by the DA.

“That is the DA difference in action in Midvaal. Now we can sit back and say no we are happy with Midvaal but we don't want to do that. We want to bring the service excellence in Midvaal to Metsimaholo and to other municipalities around the country so we can rescue South Africans from a government that stopped caring about them a long, long time ago.”

He said the DA was going to liberate the town from the ANC.

“They are going to come to you in this election with all sorts of promises. The same promises they have been giving you the past 27 years,” said Steenhuisen. 

“We are going to clean up this town. It's not going to be easy but we are going to fight it [voting district by district], ward by ward, municipality by municipality.”

He said the party wanted to put a marker on the table, by winning the municipality, to show that it is ready to bring the ANC below 50% in 2024.

He also slammed Eskom for bringing back stage two load-shedding, which is set to be in place until next week.

TimesLIVE

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.