IFP upbeat about its chances in Ward 75 elections
ALEXANDRA – Upbeat Gauteng IFP concludes its Alex election campaign in Ward 75.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) concluded its municipal elections campaign in Ward 75 on 30 July.
This through door-to-door campaigning, meet-and-greet encounters with residents on the streets, vehicle convoys and support from the party’s youth who distributed campaign pamphlets.
The party’s provincial secretary, Alco Ngobese, led the campaign together with ward candidate Zakele Mbonani. Ngobese said with the National Freedom Party (NFP) unlikely to participate in the elections, its members were sympathetic to the IFP and some had committed to vote for them which could increase the IFP’s chances of victory in this ward.
Ngobese said it was unacceptable that citizens should, 22 years into democracy, still live in squalor next to the richest square mile in Africa, in reference to Sandton.
He said government had failed the residents by not fulfilling its 2009 commitment to have eradicated shacks and the 2010 commitment to have converted single hostel rooms to family units by 2014.
“It’s unacceptable that every time when asked, government says the money for converting the hostels and building more houses has been re-prioritised for other things. It’s either they have re-channeled it to areas where they have support, other than hostels which are predominately occupied by IFP members, or the money has been lost to corruption,” he alleged.
Ngobese said winning the ward would enhance the IFP’s chance to influence the provision of basic services which were residents’ constitutional rights, and expand the party’s impact through clean governance such as in seven KwaZulu-Natal municipalities under their control where they have
received clean audits.
“Our Ward 75 councillor nominee will also prioritise crime, in particular robberies, stabbings and rape of women which sometimes happens during the day. We will also motivate for creches to be established at all hostels countrywide.
“We have thrown everything into the campaign and some NFP members have committed to support us if they [the party] are not reinstated by the Independent Electoral Commission,” he said, also committing to prioritise job creation, the provision of basic services, in particular electricity, water, housing, equal opportunity for all and a clean and transparent council.
