“5 More Years” Election Posters in Tshwane

Today, I launched my election posters in Tshwane with a simple message to residents: give ActionSA five more years to continue the work we have started and restore our Capital City.

When I accepted ActionSA’s nomination as Mayoral Candidate in May, I said that my vision was to build a Capital City we can all be proud of again. I also set out the five priorities that will guide my programme for the next five years: economic prosperity and opportunity, financial stability and responsible governance, infrastructure and service delivery, safety and the rule of law, and ethical leadership and public trust.

Over the past two years, our immediate task has been to stabilise Tshwane after years of financial instability, deteriorating infrastructure and political disruption.

We have made important progress.

Tshwane once again has a fully funded budget. We have strengthened revenue collection and restored greater financial discipline through Tshwane Ya Tima, and reduced Tshwane’s Eskom debt by more than R2.5 billion, from R6.66 billion to R4.1 billion.

This financial recovery matters because a municipality cannot deliver reliable services, maintain infrastructure or support economic growth if it cannot manage its finances.

But stabilisation was only the first phase. The next five years must be about restoration.

Growing Tshwane’s Economy and Creating Opportunity

Economic prosperity will remain at the centre of my programme.

Municipal government cannot create every job, but it can create the conditions in which businesses invest, entrepreneurs succeed and employment grows.

Our Tshwane Economic Revitalisation Strategy targets average economic growth of 3.9% and at least 80,000 new jobs. At our first Tshwane Investment Summit, we secured R86 billion in investment commitments against an initial target of R5 billion.

Our next task is to turn those commitments into real investment, development and jobs.

We will continue attracting investment, removing unnecessary barriers to development, supporting small businesses and informal traders, and connecting more communities and young people to economic opportunity.

People do not need government to build their futures for them. They need a fair opportunity to build those futures themselves.

Strengthening Tshwane’s Finances

We will continue strengthening Tshwane’s finances and ensuring that the City lives within its means.

Those who can afford to pay for municipal services must pay. Those who genuinely cannot afford basic services must be supported.

In return, residents who pay rates and tariffs have every right to expect reliable services and value for their money.

Financial stability gives us the ability to invest in infrastructure, improve services and plan properly for Tshwane’s future.

Rebuilding Infrastructure and Getting the Basics Right

Residents experience local government through the water coming from their taps, the electricity powering their homes and businesses, the roads they travel on and the refuse collected from their communities.

Getting these basics right will remain at the centre of Tshwane’s recovery.

We have increased investment in infrastructure and implemented Water and Electricity Stabilisation Plans. Water has been restored to communities such as Ikageng and Mahube Valley after years of unreliable supply. The long-delayed upgrade of the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant is moving towards completion. We are strengthening critical electricity infrastructure and have resurfaced more than 220 kilometres of roads.

There is still much more to do. Over the next five years, we will accelerate investment in infrastructure and improve the reliability of the basic services residents depend on every day.

Making Tshwane Safer and Restoring the Rule of Law

We will continue working to make Tshwane safer and restore order in communities and public spaces.

Through Reclaim Our City, we have strengthened cooperation between TMPD, SAPS, Home Affairs and other agencies to confront illegal activity, address hijacked and non-compliant properties and reclaim public spaces.

We are also training 200 new TMPD officers after no recruitment into the Metro Police Department since 2015.

Over the next five years, we will strengthen visible law enforcement, protect municipal infrastructure from theft and vandalism and enforce our by-laws fairly. The rule of law must apply to everyone.

Building a Government Residents Can Trust

None of this progress can be sustained without professional, ethical and accountable government.

We will continue strengthening financial controls, consequence management and accountability while working towards our goal of achieving a clean audit.

We will fight corruption, appoint capable people on merit, manage public money responsibly and hold political leaders and officials accountable for performance.

Public office must serve residents, not politicians.

Our message of five more years is not a claim that everything in Tshwane has been fixed.

There are still communities that need more reliable services. Infrastructure needs to be rebuilt. Neighbourhoods need to be safer and cleaner. Businesses need a municipality that makes it easier to invest and grow. Too many young people are still waiting for their first opportunity.

But the foundations for Tshwane’s recovery have been laid, and we now have an opportunity to build on that progress.

We are asking residents for five more years to create jobs and opportunity, grow our economy, rebuild infrastructure, improve basic services, strengthen safety and uphold the rule of law, and build a government residents can trust.

These are the commitments on which I am asking the people of Tshwane to judge me.

The first phase was about stabilising Tshwane.

The next five years must be about restoring it.

Give ActionSA five more years to build a Capital City we can all be proud of.

ActionSA Immigration: Known for a hardline stance against undocumented migration.