It is time for change because the African National Congress government has failed to deliver, African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe said on Monday.
Speaking at a public meeting in Mitchells Plain, Meshoe said the ACDP is committed to a clean government because dirty streets reflect the morals of those in charge.
On the running of cities, Meshoe said: ”We often hear that we do not have the capacity, which means that there are people in charge who do not know what they are doing.” He added that a lack of resources means that money is being wasted and/or pocketed.
”Ask the former deputy president or the current deputy president, who has spent your money in the Middle East.”
Meshoe also touched on salaries and performance bonuses, saying that it is too often the case that huge salaries cannot be justified against the lack of delivery.
Pointing out that Tshwane held a lavish event to celebrate five years of service delivery when, just a week before, Soshanguve residents had taken to the streets to protest the lack of service delivery, Meshoe said ”we will have the kind of people who do not have an obsession with eating, drinking and celebrating when the people are suffering”.
On tackling crime and corruption, Meshoe said the ANC does not make the grade.
”The ANC is too soft on crime, perhaps because they will find among them people guilty of the same offence.”
He said that his party would ensure that anyone who stole from the state would repay four times the amount.
”We want to teach people that crime does not pay.”
On housing, Meshoe said that many of the Reconstruction and Development Programme houses are ”disgusting”. These matchbox-sized houses cannot even accommodate the headboard of a double bed, and ”when it rained outside, it rained in the house”.
He said the party’s solution to this would be to ensure building contractors signed an agreement that would ensure that if a house was falling apart within a certain time, they would be responsible for its repair.
The ACDP, contesting all eight wards in Mitchell’s Plain, has vowed to bring God back into schools because children are being raped in school.
”We will be merciless when we deal with criminals and ensure we have God-fearing councillors who will provide a better life.” — Sapa