By Kamvaletu Booi
On Sunday, 1 October, The African National Congress (ANC) held its review of the 2019 Manifesto at the packed Joza Sports Centre on Sunday, 1 October. Present at the review were community members, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu and various provincial Leagues of the ANC, including the Veteran’s League, Youth League and Women’s League.
The review meeting, held every five years, touched on crucial service delivery issues such as loadshedding, lack of economic development, unemployment, water, sanitation, sewage and roads.
“The ANC and its Alliances still struggle to deliver basic services like water; however, we plan to be fully committed and treat the water issue of Makhanda with a sense of urgency,” says Mchunu and that despite past struggles, R6 Billion has been invested in the Eastern Cape for water and sanitation.
He added that the party plans to finalise the Umzimvubu Water project of building a dam as early as next month, which should alleviate the water issues experienced in many parts of the province.
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail on the ongoing water shortage in Makhanda, despite progress made on the James Kleynhans project, Mchunu said he would return to Makhanda. “I will come back next month and try and see where the delay is and how can we resolve the matter,” he said.
On loadshedding, Mchunu acknowledged that the issue was an ongoing national issue and that Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa stated that there should be no more loadshedding by December.
ANC Youth League leader Solethu Peters mentioned that the youth are unemployed and need the government to create more jobs. “We no longer care about long live the spirit of whoever if we do not get jobs, if the government does not deliver on their promises, the government owes us this much,” says Peters.
Neliswa Nkonyeni, leader of the ANC Women’s League leader in the Sarah Baartman region, added that unemployment has a devastating impact on families and communities and that women need jobs to support their families.
The COSATU leader, Sifundo Daweti, added that the economy is suffering. People who work for the government can no longer afford to buy the basics, and it is worse for those who get the government grant.
Xolani Simakuhle of the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) added that the closing of the Post Office impacts SASSA payments because a lot of the community relied on it to receive the grant. Simakuhle said that the high court move would also have a devastating effect on employment in Makhanda.
