Housing backlogs and incomplete housing projects in Gauteng are betrayals that represent the failure of the Government of National Unity (GNU) to deliver basic human dignity across the province.

This is according to EFF’s Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga.

“Over 1.3 million people remain on the housing backlog list, waiting for promises made decades ago to be fulfilled,” Dunga stated.

Dunga cited projects such as the Manthra project in the West Rand and others in the neighbourhood, which remained incomplete for over eight years.

”In Alex, as you have exposed, the residents are still waiting for the million houses they were promised,” he added.

Dunga made these comments at the party’s third elective conference, dubbed the National People’s Assembly (NPA), held in Nasrec Expo Centre, where over 2,500 delegates were expected to elect its new leadership.

His remarks about the housing crisis in Gauteng province echo president Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks to Alexandra residents in 2019.

Ramaphosa promised Alexandra residents, that he would construct houses for them. This includes Stjwetla, an overcrowded area that frequently experiences flooding.

However, after mounting pressure from EFF leader Julius Malema in August this year, Ramaphosa provided an update during a National Assembly session, which marked his first appearance under the new government of national unity (GNU).

“President, it’s leadership to admit you’ve made a mistake. You can’t come here and say you’ve never promised the people of Alexandra a million houses. You said so…

“It is important to admit to say 'I made a mistake,'” Malema told Ramaphosa at the time.

In response, Ramaphosa clarified that he had never pledged to build one million houses specifically for Alexandra, but instead said the promise referred to a national target over five years, with other houses allocated for Stjwetla.

He explained that due to Alexandra's challenging topography, constructing one million houses in the area was impractical.

He added that the township could not accommodate a million houses.

“To the extent that it created this impression that I said a million houses for Alexandra, which objectively would not be possible anyway, because we just don’t have the land there to build a million houses.

“And to the extent that it created that impression, yes, I will say I apologise for having made people believe that I meant for Alexandra.

“What I really meant was, yes, we would want to build a million houses for the whole country,” Ramaphosa clarified.

Addressing the delegates, Dunga described the housing backlogs and incomplete housing projects in the province as a betrayal for residents.

“A betrayal that underscores the failure of the current government to deliver basic human dignity for our people here in Gauteng.”

Dunga also pointed out the looming water crisis, which he said was identified by Malema, during the party’s manifesto launch.

“Gauteng is on the brink of day zero as water and sanitation infrastructure crumbles due to the years of neglect and mismanagement,” Dunga said.

He slammed the African National Congress (ANC) for failing to address these issues, claiming that it shifted the blame to Gauteng residents.

”Today, we can't even gather without having mobile toilets because we don't know if we will have water the next day or not,” he added.

Gauteng province, which was one of the industrial hubs in South Africa, is currently experiencing the collapse of thriving sectors such as steel, metalworks, textile and manufacturing, leaving behind empty factories and shattered communities, Dunga said.

However, Dunga said he believes there’s still an opportunity for transformation, adding that Gauteng still has vast economic potential.

He said the province is uniquely positioned to drive state-led industrialisation with its concentration of universities and TVET colleges.

“Despite these grave challenges, Gauteng remains a strategic site of participation. It is here that the EFF has demonstrated its capacity to govern and deliver services to our people.”

Despite the challenges, Dunga took a sharp turn and reflected on the work done by its members who are employed in government in the province.

The party has active branches in all the wards and voting districts, with 32% of the party’s votes in the country coming from Gauteng, the party has a footprint in all metropolitan councils in the province.

The red berets has 154 councillors across the province, along with 16 Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs), one council chief whip and two speakers of council.

Dunga said the party’s deployees in government across the province have laid the groundwork for the radical societal transformation.

“It is well known that in just a few weeks of governance in the city of Tshwane, we managed to standardise service delivery, particularly in the health department and in the collection of waste in our townships,” he said.

“The Department of Water Sanitation in the city of Ekurhuleni, under the EFF president, is one of the highest ranked in terms of providing clean, drinkable water and proper sanitation amidst all the challenges,” Dunga added.

EFF’s Tshwane caucus leader Obakeng Ramabodu was appointed a few months ago as the MMC for environmental affairs and Tshegofatso Mashabela as MMC for health services at the City of Tshwane, under the leadership of ActionSA mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya.

“In the City of Johannesburg, recent crime statistics that they will never talk about indicate that the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, which is known as the JMPD, led by the EFF, is making significant progress in the fight against crime, particularly in the CBD,” Dunga said.

The JMPD, is currently led by EFF’s Mgcini Tshwaku as MMC for public safety, while Ennie Makhafola is serving as the MMC for health and social development, under the ANC-led coalition government led by Dada Morero, as the mayor.

“Public health services under our leadership have also seen tangible improvements. Whether we're in Tshwane, in Ekurhuleni, in Johannesburg, or the West Rand district municipalities, the EFF is no longer just a government in waiting. We are the government in action,” Dunga said.

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Gauteng housing backlog: ‘A betrayal of basic human dignity,’ says EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga