In the wake of central government placing Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality under administration, a high-powered delegation – including President Cyril Ramaphosa and members of his cabinet – has attempted to reassure the community that the situation is in hand.
At an imbizo with the local community, President Ramaphosa said that the municipality was in a dire condition, but that the government would set things right. The delegation faced a frustrated audience who complained about poor service delivery, corruption and the presence of foreigners whom they accused of committing crimes.
‘Our meeting today will lead to a number of changes, as you have heard. We are continuing to work to correct the many things that have gone wrong in our country, including things like corruption, criminality, state capture and all those issues. We will get this country right. I call on you as our communities to work with us because as we work together we will be able to turn things around,’ he said.
He promised that a particular emphasis would be put on addressing unemployment.
Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said that dysfunctional municipalities needed to be fixed. ‘We are going to take over Mangaung,’ she said, ‘We are going to work together with the Minister of Finance, National Treasury and other departments to make Mangaung better. We are going to work with everyone, but national will be in charge.’
In addition, Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said that 10 000 new houses would be built.