Dear Actioneers,
Welcome to our first edition of “Gauteng in Action”!
This page is the first fruit of intense engagement we have had with activists across Gauteng Province post 2024 NPE.
The main takeaways from these engagements was the need for us to improve our leadership and accountability processes, strengthen our branch structures and develop our messaging and internal communication processes across the Province.
We are in the process of finalising a strategic document for Gauteng Province, with aim of ensuring that ActionSA activists are equipped and empowered to lead, to hold each other and government accountable, and to help ActionSA win the hearts of voters for 2026 Local Government Election.
We look forward to keeping members and supporters update-to-date with news from the regions and caucuses, as well as promotion of scheduled events and available resources on this platform.
In addition, we will be rolling out ActionSA’s new membership system in the first week of September 2024, in an effort to strengthen branch structures across Gauteng Province and prepare for ActionSA’s inaugural Peoples Convention in March 2025.
Your ongoing engagement and contributions towards the strengthening and development of ActionSA Gauteng is much appreciated.
Kind regards,
Funzi Ngobeni MPL
Gauteng Provincial Chairperson
EMFULENI
Emfuleni hosted their first pre-plenary regional strategic planning meeting on Saturday, 17 August at 15:00.
The purpose of the meeting was to share information from National and Provincial structures concerning feedback received from the post-NPE 2024 engagements, and to present plans for the new membership system roll out starting 1 September 2024.
ActionSA Emfuleni is committed to strengthening and building strong branches across the region, in preparation of 2026 Local Government Election. #BuyelekhayaEmfuleni
RAND WEST
ActionSA RandWest has been engaging with residents of Toekomsrus Ext. 9 the past few weeks, to better understand the level of corruption and betrayal evident in recent allegations made by former Minister of Police Bheki Cele concerning the Western Mega project in Randfontein.
Amongst those interviewed were the 11 people who were arrested on 13 February 2024, including four teenagers, and the findings are very concerning. ActionSA RandWest is of the view that corruption and self-enrichment have become the hallmarks of leadership, leaving vulnerable communities in a state of hopelessness and despair. Despite promises of reparations and
affirmative action, the same systemic poverty and inequality persist, perpetuated by those who claim to be their voice.
ActionSA Gauteng MPL Emma More will be following up on allegations made the former Minister of Police Bheki Cele of “construction mafias” staling progress at Western Mega project in Randfontein, and will seek to hod those responsible for the unjust arrest of 11 people from Toekomsrus to account.
The people of RandWest deserve better. It’s time for truth, accountability and action.
PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE
Key issues raised by ActionSA Gauteng Caucus Leader Funzi Ngobeni MPL in response to the Premier’s State of the Province Address of the 7th Term during the Gauteng Provincial Legislature House Sitting on Tuesday, 20 August 2024 included the need for Gauteng Provincial Government to prioritise the insourcing of security guards and cleaners during this 7th Administration, as well as to complete the abandoned mega housing projects across the Province.
Ngobeni made reference to the security guards camping outside the office of Provincial Health Department, who have since erected shacks on the pavement, while they wait for government to respond.
Ngobeni noted that the service providers appointed by Lesufi’s government are exploiting the most vulnerable in our society, and that their request for an investigation into the whereabouts of their outstanding salaries and benefits should be granted. ActionSA is committed to seeing the insourcing of security guards and cleaners acorss all provincial departments during the 7th Administration.
In addition, Ngobeni raised concerned about the number of incomplete and abandoned housing projects across the Province. Although Montrose Mega Project in Randfontein started in 2017, thousands of housing units remain abandoned and incomplete, and many elderly people including military veterans, are being forced to live in dilapidated homes while they wait. ActionSA will continue to push for the completion of these mega housing projects, so as to ensure the supply of much-needed affordable housing in the Province.
JOHANNESBURG
ActionSA Johannesburg welcomes the nomination of Caucus Leader Cllr Nobuhle Mthembu for the position of City of Johannesburg Council Speaker set to be announced in Council tomorrow.
ActionSA has communicated its intention to be a constructive voice in City of Johannesburg, on behalf of the best interests of residents, as ActionSA works with other political parties to stabilise governance and ensure effective frontline service delivery.
Should the GLU not support her nomination we will continue our work to be a watchdog over this administration. ActionSA is not concerned with lofty positions but rather how this strategic office can be leveraged to putting the city back on track.
We remain committed to fixing the City of Johannesburg.
TSHWANE
ActionSA welcomes the recent announcement by the MMC of Utility Services, indicating that City of Tshwane will be scraping historical bills for the residents of Hammanskraal.
This is a crucial recognition of the hardships faced by these residents who were deprived of potable water for over 18 years and should not be burdened with paying for water they did not consume.
As a member of the Tshwane Multi-Party Coalition Government, we commend this proactive step towards justice for the residents of Hammanskraal.
ActionSA has long advocated for access to clean drinking water in Hammanskraal and we are pleased to see progress being made with the anticipated arrival of clean water next month.
The City’s decision to scrap historical debts is just one part of a comprehensive plan that includes registering residents who cannot afford to pay on the city’s indigent register.
ActionSA Deputy Executive Mayor Dr. Nasiphi Moya and ActionSA MMC Ald. Hannes Coetzee were pleased to welcome residents of Hammanskraal at the imbizo scheduled by the Speaker of Tshwane on Saturday, 17 August 2024 at 11am at Makgoba Sebothoma Hall, and to respond to concerns raised.
ActionSA will continue to closely monitor the upgrades at the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant and will work towards ensuring the quality of effluent can be measured starting in December 2024.
ActionSA is committed to fighting for a future where access to clean water, a fundamental human right, is a reality for all residents across the City.
EKURHULENI
City of Ekurhuleni’s failure to collect waste as scheduled is forcing residents to either resort to illegal dumping or to contract private companies to do so, while the City continues to bill residents for this non-existent service.
Tembisa, Daveyton, Kempton Park, Etwatwa, Duduza, KwaThema and Tsakane are being hit the hardest, despite the City’s recent approval of R63 milllion budget to deliver refuse collection services.
Waste collection services remain largely outsourced in Ekurhuleni, where a Limpopo-based company, with no registered address in the City, has reportedly been awarded a multimillion-rand contract. The company, believed to be linked to some political elites, has since refused to collect waste until the City pays for services rendered.
Under the contract, the company was obligated to provide 10 refuse removal trucks in good working condition, with a requirement to bring 10 additional new refuse trucks into operation within three months of the contract period and another 6 trucks by the five-month mark.
Shockingly, to date, only two trucks have been made available for refuse removal across the entire Tembisa area.
Since it is now more than two months after the new budget had been approved, ActionSA would like the EFF MMC for Waste, Cllr Leshaka Manamela to explain exactly how long it would take for the City to start paying contracted service providers delivering refuse removal services.
ActionSA will on Thursday, 22 August 2024, engage with residents of Tembisa how the lack of waste and refuse collection affects their health and lived experiences, as well as submit the following questions to council:
ActionSA calls for a holistic and integrated approach is needed to improve waste management including the internal capacitation of the waste management department by intensifying the procurement of trucks and insourcing of permanent workers to meet the demands of the City.
OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP SYSTEM
In the wake of the 2024 national and provincial elections, ActionSA began a review of our systems and structures. One key finding in this process was that the rules underlying our membership system, and the system itself, had led to a lack of credibility behind our membership database.
In order to address this, and following extensive consultation, the following changes will come into effect on 1 September 2024:
These changes, along with others, are designed to protect the credibility of our membership database and to ensure that those listed as ActionSA members have recently subscribed or re-subscribed to the values a, policies and constitution of ActionSA.
It is requested of all ActionSA members to be ready on 1 September 2024 to sign up on the new system either by the website or through a number of options that ActionSA will avail to those who have signed up before. With your help, our goal is to develop branches across our country that deliver our Party’s message and for a credible, democratic system of representation to decision-making in higher formations.
ActionSA apologises for the inconvenience this may cause, however we remain confident that the credibility of our membership database and systems is in the best interests of all ActionSA members.
