Johannesburg - DA leader Mmusi Maimane spent much of his Human Rights Day in three sprawling informal settlements in Bekkersdal on Gauteng’s West Rand promising jobs to improve its poor residents’ lives.
Maimane, who was accompanied by DA Gauteng MPL supporters and spokesperson on basic services Makashule Gana, told party supporters and curious residents at a dusty field at the Tambo informal settlement should the official opposition take over in the province it would not be able to build houses for everyone.
Instead, Maimane promised, the administration of its Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga will provide give residents vouchers to enable them to build their own houses.
”There are no human rights until there is a job in every home,” he said.
Calling for #FairAccessToJobs!
Almost four out of ten South Africans cannot find work.
4 out of 10 homes in our country don't have a single job & rely solely on social grants & remittances to sustain the whole household.
This has to change, enough is enough. #HumanRightsDay pic.twitter.com/R2b88Je7L9
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) March 21, 2019
According to Maimane, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government only increased child support grants by R10 last month while it gave SA Airways and embattled power utility Eskom bailouts of R6 billion and R23bn respectively.
”Sell SAA and Eskom and give money to the people,” he said.
Maimane also promised that the DA will increase child support grants to R780 and reduce the Cabinet to 20 ministers if they won the general elections in May.
He was highly critical of Ramaphosa, saying every time he came across a problem he was shocked and surprised, referring to the president’s reaction to a train from Mabopane in Tshwane being late for two hours and being stuck in the middle of nowhere earlier this week.
”Where does he come from?” Maimane asked.