Dumelang, Molweni, Sanbonani, Goeie More, Good Morning;
It is great to be with you today in the streets of Johannesburg again, talking about the future of our city.
Very few of you would disagree that this city is in a state of decline. Service delivery and responsive governance have been put aside for political jockeying, coalition squabbles, and empty promises.
The ANC, DA, and small parties have all led this city in the past 10 years, but none of them have made a lasting impact that objectively improved the lives of residents. Except for one mayor – Herman Mashaba. He was the only mayor who started turning this city around, and this in just 3 years.
The Mashaba Legacy Tour will continue because residents need hope – we want to highlight to them that their city was working, and that with the right leadership under ActionSA it can start working again.
Today, we stand in front of the River Park Clinic; where one of the five substance abuse treatment facilities was launched by Herman Mashaba’s administration.
When Herman Mashaba came into office, there were no city run facilities to speak of. Previous governments became complacent whilst the scourge of substance abuse and drug syndicates flooded Johannesburg’s streets. They spent millions on international travel and self-promotion whilst the rule of law spun out of control. They said that this was not a local government function and washed their hands of their responsibilities knowing provincial; and national government would fail.
As a mayor who promised to restore law and order and care for Johannesburg’s most vulnerable, Mashaba did not care whose job description assisting drug addicts resided in, he just got the job done.
Mashaba’s government launched the Community‐based Substance Abuse Programme to offer services free of charge, offering intervention, treatment and reintegration programmes. This included the launch of five treatment facilities in areas such as Eldorado Park, Alex, Soweto, and more.
The city also maintained a Substance Abuse Crisis Line called Ithemba, which provided 24-hour access to professional assistance, tele-counselling services.
These interventions had a real impact, and soon, residents were sharing their stories with mayor Mashaba. This is because Mashaba got it right that the war was to be waged not on the victims of this deadly drug trade, but on the dealers, traffickers and manufacturers.
I refer to Mr. Amon Mthembu, who told us that his prayers were answered upon hearing of the opening of the Tladi Drug Rehabilitation Centre. His son, Bongani, had become afflicted by addiction, and stole valuable items in their household to feed it. After being enrolled in a rehabilitation programme at the Tladi Centre, Bongani finally got the help he needed and started his road to recovery. After graduating from the programme, he enrolled back in school, and said that his life once again had a purpose.
This is but one story of residents who were able to turn their lives around thanks to the interventions undertaken.
But helping those suffering from substance abuse is only one side of the coin. Mashaba took the fight against drugs to the dealers and syndicates themselves.
He initiated the recruitment of 1500 JMPD officers, the largest recruitment drive of its kind, and also launched the K9 Narcotics Unit. This unit consisted of 60 officers trained in special weapons and tactics, 19 dogs and 35 vehicles.
At his 2018 SOCA address, he highlighted what interventions the K9 Unit was able to make – 1193 arrests, the recovery of 123 illegal firearms, 136 kg of drugs seized, and over 1000 hijacked vehicles recovered. As Mashaba said, this unit focused on the major dealers and distributors across the City.
This was the last time drug peddlers and syndicates truly feared the law, because it was being enforced.
Herman Mashaba’s administration saw improvements in nearly aspect of governance, and his record has not been matched before or since. The following stands as just some highlights of what Herman Mashaba was able to achieve:
- The highest levels of resident satisfaction (74%) in the history of the city.
- Redirecting R2 billion from luxuries and wastage to service delivery infrastructure.
- Reducing power outages from 6.1 to 5.8 per annum (during peak load shedding).
- Reducing water leaks and bursts from 45 000 to 37 000 per annum.
- Achieving R17 billion in facilitated investment in 2018/19.
- Resurfacing 900km of bad roads (24% of all bad roads in the City).
- Building the largest electricity sub-station in the southern hemisphere within schedule and under budget.
- Extending the operating hours of 26 clinics, saving more than 500 lives with after-hour care.
- Starting 5 city-operated substance abuse facilities, the first in the city’s history.
- Procuring 7 mobile clinics to provide primary healthcare to informal settlements.
- Delivered 7000 RDP homes and 7500 title deeds and 3500 serviced stands.
- An anti-corruption unit that investigated over 6000 cases of corruption totaling more than R35 billion in transactions under investigation and effecting more than 900 arrests.
- Insourcing over 6000 security guards and cleaners and affording these workers the dignity of a proper wage and the city direct management of securing and cleaning its own infrastructure.
What makes this list of achievements even more remarkable is that it arose from a complicated 7-way minority coalition government. This also shows us that coalitions can produce fruits with the kind of stable-headed leadership which Mashaba provided. This is a type of leadership that is less interested in scoring points, and more interested in delivering for residents. The failed coalitions and failed mayors which have come and gone, have shown that Mashaba was the last mayor who put pride and politicking aside in the interest of the people.
ActionSA will be highlighting these and many more achievements that form part of Mashaba’s legacy.
Johannesburg residents do not have to look far to find a leader who has a proven track record of fixing their city. Herman Mashaba did it before, and ActionSA can do it again. Next year, residents can break away from the years of failure they’ve had to endure.
Mashaba Legacy Tour: Herman Mashaba Was Winning the War Against Drugs and Substance Abuse
Dumelang, Molweni, Sanbonani, Goeie More, Good Morning;
It is great to be with you today in the streets of Johannesburg again, talking about the future of our city.
Very few of you would disagree that this city is in a state of decline. Service delivery and responsive governance have been put aside for political jockeying, coalition squabbles, and empty promises.
The ANC, DA, and small parties have all led this city in the past 10 years, but none of them have made a lasting impact that objectively improved the lives of residents. Except for one mayor – Herman Mashaba. He was the only mayor who started turning this city around, and this in just 3 years.
The Mashaba Legacy Tour will continue because residents need hope – we want to highlight to them that their city was working, and that with the right leadership under ActionSA it can start working again.
Today, we stand in front of the River Park Clinic; where one of the five substance abuse treatment facilities was launched by Herman Mashaba’s administration.
When Herman Mashaba came into office, there were no city run facilities to speak of. Previous governments became complacent whilst the scourge of substance abuse and drug syndicates flooded Johannesburg’s streets. They spent millions on international travel and self-promotion whilst the rule of law spun out of control. They said that this was not a local government function and washed their hands of their responsibilities knowing provincial; and national government would fail.
As a mayor who promised to restore law and order and care for Johannesburg’s most vulnerable, Mashaba did not care whose job description assisting drug addicts resided in, he just got the job done.
Mashaba’s government launched the Community‐based Substance Abuse Programme to offer services free of charge, offering intervention, treatment and reintegration programmes. This included the launch of five treatment facilities in areas such as Eldorado Park, Alex, Soweto, and more.
The city also maintained a Substance Abuse Crisis Line called Ithemba, which provided 24-hour access to professional assistance, tele-counselling services.
These interventions had a real impact, and soon, residents were sharing their stories with mayor Mashaba. This is because Mashaba got it right that the war was to be waged not on the victims of this deadly drug trade, but on the dealers, traffickers and manufacturers.
I refer to Mr. Amon Mthembu, who told us that his prayers were answered upon hearing of the opening of the Tladi Drug Rehabilitation Centre. His son, Bongani, had become afflicted by addiction, and stole valuable items in their household to feed it. After being enrolled in a rehabilitation programme at the Tladi Centre, Bongani finally got the help he needed and started his road to recovery. After graduating from the programme, he enrolled back in school, and said that his life once again had a purpose.
This is but one story of residents who were able to turn their lives around thanks to the interventions undertaken.
But helping those suffering from substance abuse is only one side of the coin. Mashaba took the fight against drugs to the dealers and syndicates themselves.
He initiated the recruitment of 1500 JMPD officers, the largest recruitment drive of its kind, and also launched the K9 Narcotics Unit. This unit consisted of 60 officers trained in special weapons and tactics, 19 dogs and 35 vehicles.
At his 2018 SOCA address, he highlighted what interventions the K9 Unit was able to make – 1193 arrests, the recovery of 123 illegal firearms, 136 kg of drugs seized, and over 1000 hijacked vehicles recovered. As Mashaba said, this unit focused on the major dealers and distributors across the City.
This was the last time drug peddlers and syndicates truly feared the law, because it was being enforced.
Herman Mashaba’s administration saw improvements in nearly aspect of governance, and his record has not been matched before or since. The following stands as just some highlights of what Herman Mashaba was able to achieve:
What makes this list of achievements even more remarkable is that it arose from a complicated 7-way minority coalition government. This also shows us that coalitions can produce fruits with the kind of stable-headed leadership which Mashaba provided. This is a type of leadership that is less interested in scoring points, and more interested in delivering for residents. The failed coalitions and failed mayors which have come and gone, have shown that Mashaba was the last mayor who put pride and politicking aside in the interest of the people.
ActionSA will be highlighting these and many more achievements that form part of Mashaba’s legacy.
Johannesburg residents do not have to look far to find a leader who has a proven track record of fixing their city. Herman Mashaba did it before, and ActionSA can do it again. Next year, residents can break away from the years of failure they’ve had to endure.