The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called out the leading African National Congress (ANC) for discrediting the opposition’s work in the City of Johannesburg.

DA Gauteng caucus leader Funzela Ngobeni on Wednesday said it was bizarre for newly elected Johannesburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo to say that the DA left the City in tatters.  

Former DA member Herman Mashaba resigned as Johannesburg mayor in October last year.

“The DA has achieved many more things in three years than what the ANC has done in 25 years. No government is perfect. The intent in which we govern is seen in the lives of the poor. At no point did we steal from the Gauteng residents,” said Ngobeni.

Last week, Makhubo said the city was on the brink of collapse and accused the DA of mismanaging various entities and departments in the city.

Some of Makhubo’s claims, such as that unqualified Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers were appointed, have angered former mayor Mashaba, who said Makhubo was trying to reverse the gains of the DA.

Ngobeni said while the DA had had to deal with a transition period when assuming power in Gauteng from the ANC, it had achieved a great many successes, which brought real transformation to the lives of millions of Johannesburg residents.  

Housing, Health and Social Development

Ngobeni claimed the DA was able to hand over 8 587 title deeds to residents – double the number handed over by the ANC in 25 years.

The DA said under the leadership of ward councillor Leah Knott, the Inner City Revitalisation Plan was launched in 2017.

One-hundred and fifty-four properties and 54 factories were identified for release to developers with an estimated R32-billion in investment unlocked, said Ngobeni.

He further highlighted that under the leadership of former Health and Social Development MMC Mpho Phalatse the DA opened a 24-hour clinic in Ebony Park, which was officially opened by Mayor Makhubo, who Ngobeni said, failed to mention that it was the DA’s project.

Public Safety MMC Michael Sun also dismissed, as fallacy, Makhubo’s claim that JMPD chief David Tembe had not held any meetings in two years.

“Tembe and I used to clash because he used to have his management meeting every Tuesday which used to [overlap with] my meetings. On the issue of buying fleets to patrol highways, Johannesburg has a lot of highways that needed to be patrolled. We didn’t spend the money recklessly as Makhubo is suggesting,” said Sun. 

On the issue of unqualified trainees, Sun said the officers were trained for eighteen months and added that he personally attended their tests, adding that some of the female trainees shot better than their male counterparts.