Hannes Coetzee spent years trying to get the issues at the Rooiwal Water Treatment Works resolved, so that the residents in his ward could have clean drinking water for the first time in decades.
In this tell-all interview, Hannes details countless attempts to bring evidence to DA leaders, ministers, and three different Tshwane Mayors, to no avail.
His frustration eventually led to his resignation, but he is back and fighting to make sure this issue is dealt with once and for all.
When a fire destroyed a pyramid substation in ward 96 all the way back in 2019, Hannes was one of the first on the scene. What he could never have imagined was just how difficult it would be to restore power to residents in his ward.
Three years later, residents are still left with intermittent electricity, made worse by loadshedding, with absolutely no plan from the city as to when a new substation will be built.
Hannes tells us exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.
Hannes details the reasoning behind his decision to return to politics with a green shirt on.
He explains his motivations as a public servant and how he knows things will be different this time.
I resigned from the DA because the service delivery agenda of this ward was not being served. Electricity outages have gotten worse and the water situation is no better. I believe under ActionSA we will be able to achieve change for this community.
Last week, Hannes Coetzee was announced as ActionSA’s Ward Councillor for the Ward 96 By-Election in the City of Tshwane, after resigning from the DA due to lack of service delivery.
Using his resourcefulness and determination, Hannes has liased with The Regional Executive Director (RED) and had the roads resealed and repaired between Haakdoornboom street and Swaeltjie Street.
Not just talk!
Hannes is one of the most qualified and distinguished candidates for a ward that I have ever met. He has a commitment to community service that you would struggle to find in any other municipality!
You can vote in the ward 96 by-election if you are registered at any of these voting stations:
Check your registration details by SMSing your ID number to 32810. Registered voters can cast their votes on 4 May from 7am to 9pm.
Our communities in Ward 96 have been affected by Rooiwal Water Treatment due to lack of maintenance and corruption.
Hannes will play a central role in ensuring the residents of Ward 96 receive reliable, clean water for the first time in decades by:
It has been more than 10 years since the South African Human Rights Council (SAHRC) declared that the water in our
ward is “unfit for human consumption.”
Thanks to corruption and rampant mismanagement, this community continues to suffer. Hannes is making it his personal mission to ensure we bring this nightmare to an end.
Communities in Ward 96 have had to contend with consistent blackouts for days and sometimes weeks on end due to substation problems stretching as far back as 2019.
For years, Hannes has been the only public servant that has worked to ensure this changes. Now, under the banner of ActionSA, he will have all the support he needs to:
Every day without electricity not only hurts residents but threatens jobs at businesses that cannot afford alternative power sources.
Residents can rest assured that Hannes will work tirelessly to ensure ward 96 finally has access to reliable and consistent electricity supply!
Hannes is a trained artisan with a track record in public and civil service dating back to 1988 in which he has served:
and in 2021 Hannes was conferred the title of Alderman, a title reserved for Councillors with the longest service to a municipality.
ActionSA is proud to announce Mr Hannes Coetzee as ActionSA’s Ward Councillor for the Ward 96 By-Election in the City of Tshwane to be held on 4 May 2022.
Hannes believed that the multi-party coalition that came into office in 2016 would deliver change to his ward but he watched in disbelief as matters did not get better for the residents of his ward, instead they regressed.
This ward that Hannes has served for so many years has been plagued by the ongoing Hammanskraal Water Crisis, unreliable supply of electricity and roads that are falling apart.
This is why Hannes has made the decision to join ActionSA, because he feels like the residents of this ward are going to be taken seriously under our banner. Hannes has tried since 2016 to ensure these issues are addressed by his own party. The fact that 6 years later, these issues remain unresolved, says everything that needs to be said about his decision.
On Hannes’ request, ActionSA will engage the multi-party coalition to ensure that these issues receive the due attention in the new financial year budget to be approved in May this year.
Hannes’ candidature is another significant moment for ActionSA. It represents that we are a party that can not only take high levels of support from the ANC but also attract people from across the spectrum in South Africa who are all driven by the need for action in their communities. In this regard I am confident that Hannes will make an excellent ActionSA Ward Councillor with his track record of excellent service to his ward.
ActionSA was formed in August 2020 by the former Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, to change the direction of South Africa by providing a credible alternative to a broken political system that has failed South Africans for many years since the dawn of South Africa’s democracy.
ActionSA’s foundations are grounded in The People’s Dialogue, a 9-month public engagement process which solicited the views of 2.4 million South Africans about the future of their country. Our focus is on Action that moves South Africa forward from an era of broken promises, corruption and failed government.
An inclusive, prosperous and secure future for all South Africans in a country healed from its past.
We exist in service to the South African people by working to deliver governments at local, provincial and a national level that act effectively and decisively to their benefit.
From stability and success during the dark days of apartheid to his reluctant road to politics. This is the story of how our President, Herman Mashaba is taking the values of success he learned in business, and using them to change the face of South African politics.
National Chairperson of ActionSA, Author and Proud South African, Michael Beaumont was born and raised in Durban, and educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University.
Michael served 9 years as the Managing Director of the DA in KZN and Gauteng, and in 2016, Herman Mashaba appointed him as his chief of staff in the City of Johannesburg.
After the collapse of the Johannesburg coalition government in 2019, Michael co-founded The People’s Dialogue and ActionSA with Herman Mashaba and André Coetzee.
Gauteng Provincial Chairman
Eastern Cape Chairperson
Western Cape Provincial Chairwoman
North West Provincial Chairman
Interim KZN Chairman
Director of Operations
Chief Strategist
Treasurer
National Spokesperson
National Fundraising Chairperson
The Senate of ActionSA, our highest decision-making body, reflects the rich diversity of South Africa, and includes individuals with a wide range of skills and expertise from both political and non-political backgrounds.
After a successful 2021 ActionSA does not have a moment to pause. 2022 must be a year where we move to activate our structures in all 9 provinces and put in place the best people who are going to lead these campaigns. We face a year of new leaders being announced, contesting by-elections which must win wards away from the ANC to demonstrate this unique feature of ActionSA.
Already ActionSA finds itself overwhelmed by both ordinary and high-profile South Africans pledging their support to ActionSA because 2021 has opened the eyes of South Africans to the vulnerability of the ANC.
A major component of 2022 must be our ability to govern effectively within the coalitions in Gauteng. The portfolios run by ActionSA must become beacons of honest, effective and resident-centric government that develop a strong track record of our new party in government.
2022 promises to be a great year for ActionSA and all South Africans driven by the pursuit of removing the ANC in 2024.
