Latest / Drive with John Perlman / How will IFP fix issues in 702 land ?

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How will IFP fix issues in 702 land ? · Drive with John Perlman

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  Speaker 1: Your community.
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  Speaker 2: Your concerns.
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  Speaker 1: Your voice. Follow every moment of the local government elections
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  Speaker 1: on 702 Cape Talk and EWN.co.za. 702 Drive, it's 17
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  Speaker 1: minutes past four. Local government elections drawing closer every day.
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  Speaker 1: Fourth of November, we go to the polls. Over this
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  Speaker 1: week and next on 702 Drive, we're spending time with
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  Speaker 1: different political parties looking at key areas of policy and
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  Speaker 1: undertakings that they're setting out in their manifestos and in
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  Speaker 1: the messages that they are sharing with voters. Today, it's
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  Speaker 1: the turn of the IFP, and we're joined to represent
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  Speaker 1: that party by Mlungisi Mabaso, who is the IFP's mayoral
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  Speaker 1: candidate for Johannesburg.
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  Speaker 2: Mr.
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  Speaker 1: Mabaso, welcome, and thanks very much for giving us your time.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you very much, Putjon, and greetings to yourself and
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  Speaker 2: the listeners.
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  Speaker 1: You took Mr. Mabasor as the IFP of running the
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  Speaker 1: finances responsibly of municipalities living within their means, and yet
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  Speaker 1: you make substantial promises in regard to, for example, informal settlements.
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  Speaker 1: They will get electricity. They will get improved sanitation. They
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  Speaker 1: will get roads. How are you going to do that
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  Speaker 1: if you're going to run a tight budget in a
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  Speaker 1: city that already has deep financial problems?
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  Speaker 2: Well, maybe let me begin by indicating that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the revenue base for the city of Johannesburg is huge.
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  Speaker 2: And Johannesburg has economic assets. So when you repeat Johannesburg,
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  Speaker 2: you are not starting from scratch. You are building from
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  Speaker 2: the foundation that is already laid in Johannesburg. So now...
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  Speaker 2: The revenue collection is not a reflection of the revenue
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  Speaker 2: base that we have currently because I know for a
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  Speaker 2: fact that you've got a lot of accounts that are
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  Speaker 2: not built in the city of Johannesburg. That's one. Secondly,
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  Speaker 2: we've got elements of corruption that we are going to
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  Speaker 2: deal with in the system because when you.
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  Speaker 2: Disconnect certain customers in Johannesburg. They get reconnected having not
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  Speaker 2: paid to the municipality, which is a demonstration that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we've got officials in the system that are corrupting the
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  Speaker 2: system that are working with those businesses and those customers
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  Speaker 2: that do not want to pay municipalities. So that's another
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  Speaker 2: thing that we are going to deal with. But over
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  Speaker 2: and above that, you know, we are talking about ensuring
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  Speaker 2: that we introduce a smart billing and digital account system
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  Speaker 2: so that we bill people accurately to reduce the billing
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  Speaker 2: queries that we have experienced.
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  Speaker 1: Can I jump in there and ask you this, Mr. Mabasso,
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  Speaker 1: that smart billing and digital accounting system that you're going
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  Speaker 1: to introduce, have you costed that? And if so, how
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  Speaker 1: much will it cost?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, we have not considered that. Remember, we are
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  Speaker 2: not in government, as we speak. So it's an assessment
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  Speaker 2: that we will do when we are in government. Because
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  Speaker 2: for us to bill people accurately, we need to introduce,
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  Speaker 2: you know, smart billing and the digital account system. And
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  Speaker 2: it's something that can be easily rolled out when we
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  Speaker 2: are already in the system. As I've indicated, Johannesburg is
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  Speaker 2: a municipality that has assets. You know, it has a base.
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  Speaker 2: So you are not starting from scratch. But over in
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  Speaker 2: the past days, we are losing big businesses in Johannesburg.
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  Speaker 2: And part of our plan is to launch a Johannesburg
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  Speaker 2: recovery plan because we understand very well that Johannesburg is
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  Speaker 2: an economic engine. Businesses, you know, are in Johannesburg. They're expecting,
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  Speaker 2: you know, to operate freely without any interruptions. People are
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  Speaker 2: in Johannesburg seeking job and economic opportunities. And hence, we
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  Speaker 2: are prioritizing economic recovery plan.
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  Speaker 1: So, so... I do need to come back, though, to
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  Speaker 1: the question I asked you, because when I look at
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  Speaker 1: all the things you're saying the IFP is going to do,
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  Speaker 1: I mentioned the informal settlements. You're going to recruit 5,000
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  Speaker 1: more JMPD officers. You're going to introduce smart surveillance systems
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  Speaker 1: with CCTV integration. And with respect, the list of things
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  Speaker 1: you say that you're going to do is actually quite long. Now,
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  Speaker 1: if this is going to be something other than just
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  Speaker 1: a wish list, Surely, Mr. Mabasso, you should have at
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  Speaker 1: least started costing some of these things. So if nothing else,
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  Speaker 1: you can work out a timetable for when you'll introduce them.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think, let me say this because I'm heading
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  Speaker 2: the Department of Human Settlements. So everything that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we are speaking about, especially with regards to informal settlements
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  Speaker 2: and housing, it's something that you are already doing, you know,
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  Speaker 2: There are reports that we have tabled in council. There
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  Speaker 2: are programs that we have rolled out. We have done
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  Speaker 2: electrification in the informal settlements as we speak. There are
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  Speaker 2: informal settlements that have been electrified. We have installed solar
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  Speaker 2: panels and microgrid in certain informal settlements. We are taking
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  Speaker 2: them off the grid to reduce the overload. So it's
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  Speaker 2: work that we have already started doing. But remember... it
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  Speaker 2: will be very difficult to give projections and estimates on
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  Speaker 2: each project in the manifesto that this is how much
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  Speaker 2: it's going to cost because it has to be technically guided.
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  Speaker 2: And for you to have that technical assessment, you ought
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  Speaker 2: to be within the system. So you can't do it
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  Speaker 2: from outside.
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  Speaker 1: But you are in the system You've just told us
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  Speaker 1: that you are.
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  Speaker 2: But I'm not in finance. So I can't go to
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  Speaker 2: finance and do those determinations as to how much is
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  Speaker 2: this going to cost. It should be introduced, this type
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  Speaker 2: of a system.
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  Speaker 1: Mr. Mabasso, you talk about the problems around infrastructure and
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  Speaker 1: you say you will introduce ward-based infrastructure monitoring teams.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, can I respond to your first question?
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  Speaker 1: I want to move on to this, if I may.
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  Speaker 1: You're going to introduce ward-based infrastructure monitoring teams. Will these
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  Speaker 1: people be paid?
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  Speaker 2: Okay, let me say this, because some of the things
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  Speaker 2: that you're referring to here is something that Johannesburg was
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  Speaker 2: doing previously. And previous administrations decided to do away with
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  Speaker 2: those services. Like, for example, Johannesburg used to have full-time
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  Speaker 2: employed a team that is responsible for maintenance. It's not
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  Speaker 2: something new. It's something that has been done. If you
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  Speaker 2: look at the organogram of certain departments and entities... They
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  Speaker 2: still have those positions that are there. And that's why
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  Speaker 2: we are saying as an organization that that is going
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  Speaker 2: to be a priority to us because we are not
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  Speaker 2: going to change the Okano Creme. We are going to
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  Speaker 2: fill the positions that are already there, available within the
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  Speaker 2: Okano Creme of the municipality. But the reality is this.
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  Speaker 2: You cannot over-rely on external service providers for maintenance. You
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  Speaker 2: need to build the internal capacity. Hence, we are saying
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  Speaker 2: we're going to have those work-based teams.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, and I'm asking you a question. Are they going
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  Speaker 1: to be paid people? Are they staff members?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, they are going to be recruited. We are going
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  Speaker 2: to give them training. We've got institutions of higher learning.
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  Speaker 2: We partner with them, and it's something that we're already doing.
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  Speaker 2: There are institutions of higher learning that we are partnering
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  Speaker 2: with them. We are to provide training to the young people.
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  Speaker 2: We've engaged with CETA in some of the activities so
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  Speaker 2: that at least we recruit young people, they participate, then
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  Speaker 2: they get remunerated at the end of the month.
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  Speaker 1: Can I ask you how much more difficult implementing these
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  Speaker 1: things might be if in all likelihood, if you are
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  Speaker 1: in governing positions, as you've pointed out, you already are
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  Speaker 1: involved yourself with human settlements. If you're part of a coalition,
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  Speaker 1: How much do you think you're going to have to
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  Speaker 1: tailor this manifesto and the list of undertakings you're giving
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  Speaker 1: the voters when you will not be in complete control
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  Speaker 1: of a city like Johannesburg, but the same could apply
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  Speaker 1: to others like Etigwini, for example?
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  Speaker 2: But we are not contesting to be in a coalition.
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  Speaker 2: We are contesting to win Johannesburg.
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  Speaker 1: But Mr Mabasso, none of the numbers suggest that that's possible.
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  Speaker 1: I think we can realistically ask you what you would
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  Speaker 1: be able to do if you were in a coalition.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think the ISP has been able to
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  Speaker 2: work with all parties. I mean, we've led stable government
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  Speaker 2: in the country. All the municipalities where we are leading
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  Speaker 2: through a coalition government, you know, we have witnessed stability
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  Speaker 2: in those municipalities. And we have been able to implement
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  Speaker 2: our manifesto. We have never had challenges with that as
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  Speaker 2: an organization. Remember, we're one of the most experienced organizations
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  Speaker 2: in government and we've been performing very well. in government
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  Speaker 2: and how we've been managing coalitions. I think we are
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  Speaker 2: the only political party in the country that has been
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  Speaker 2: able to work with any of the political parties, you know,
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  Speaker 2: across the board. And we've led stable coalitions, you know,
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  Speaker 2: complex as they are, but we have been able to
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  Speaker 2: stabilize government in all the municipalities where we are leading
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  Speaker 2: coalition government.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much. Mlungisi Mabasu, IFP mayoral candidate. You
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  Speaker 1: can check out their manifesto and indeed the manifestos of
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  Speaker 1: all the political parties. So far, I've found them all
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  Speaker 1: on their websites. Go to Google, type in the party name,
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  Speaker 1: look for manifestos. So far this week, we've spoken to
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  Speaker 1: the DA, the IFP, we've spoken to Action SA, we've
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  Speaker 1: spoken to the UDM. We'll have the ACDP join us tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: We thank Mr. Mabasso for his time, and we've got
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  Speaker 1: another five parties. lined up for next week. This is
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  Speaker 1: 702 Drive.