Some local residents in Ikagen township, near Potchefstroom in the North West province, hope the Build One South Africa (BOSA) party will solve service delivery challenges if it comes to power after provincial and national elections. He says he is looking forward to it. They cited inadequate water supply, adequate housing, and unemployment as concerns.
BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane led the party's election campaign in the region.
Mr Maimane began his campaign by visiting the site of a large hole reportedly dug by JB Marks Local Government in the Gugulethu informal settlement. Two years ago, four children allegedly drowned in the hole after heavy rains.
Some community members have decried the state of service delivery in their areas.
“Where we stay we need a lot of things, but there is no school. Our children leave at 6 in the morning and arrive late. We have no school and no nursery. Children “I wish they could support us in something important that will change our lives,” the resident said.
“In Lismievrt, we grandmothers also have problems. My grandmother doesn't have a toilet and there are a lot of infections,'' explains another resident.
“We need proper stands. We have lived here for seven years. We also need proper services like water. We are struggling,” elaborates another resident.
Maimane promised to provide better services to residents if his party wins the election.
“The first solution here was to give every household a job, because when people are economically empowered, they have control over their own lives. When there is no income in the house, you are doomed to a life of poverty because they have no option to access us. Secondly, our policies regarding housing are not the same as those announced by the government. It means that rather than putting a list of expensive homes on the table, we need to make sure that we provide vouchers for people to choose from, so they build their own structures because South Africans are passionate about it. and stimulate the township's economy.”
Maimane also promised to tackle high unemployment.
“We must ensure that our young people have access to education. And third, let us keep our communities safe. As BOSA, we must ensure that our young people have access to education. I have proposed R220 billion. And I want to say to the young people that when BOSA starts, we will give young people a six-month internship and six months of work. It’s a year where they can do it, because when you combine those two, they graduate with experience and can apply their work elsewhere.”
BOSA says a victory in the elections will revitalize the ailing local governments in the state.
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