EFF leader Julius Malema has vowed to unseat the ANC in Gauteng from power in the upcoming provincial elections.
On Saturday, during the party’s provincial manifesto launch held at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, Malema accused the ANC of collapsing the province and its its infrastructure.
Ahead of the manifesto launch in Soweto, Malema had said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi was no match to the EFF’s premier candidate, Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, in both capacity and looks.
Malema promised to end youth unemployment and eradicate drugs in places such as Hillbrow, while also ridding the province of the scourge of illegal mining and human trafficking, which he said had become worse under the ANC government in the province.
“Comrades, Gauteng has collapsed. The ANC has destroyed our province. This is where you will 3 million people without jobs. This is where 6 000 people are killed every year.
“How can you have 6 000 people killed every year in a place where there is no war? Comrades, in places such as Mamelodi and Soshanguve, murder has become a sport. When white people play cricket and rugby, the youth of Soshanguve are playing with killing each other. This is Gauteng for you,” he said.
Malema said the province had seen an increase in police stations being situated in dilapidated buildings. “This is where 139 police stations out of 144 police stations are in buildings that are collapsing because this government is renting buildings from their people.
“In Gauteng, there are no longer hospitals. Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital used to be one of the best hospitals; the ANC destroyed it. Charlotte Maxeke used to be a good hospital, but the ANC has destroyed it.
“Steve Biko used to be a good hospital and the ANC wants to collapse it because they know if public health is not working, people are going to private health because they know they have a corrupt relationship with owners of private hospitals,” he said.
The province had seen an increase in the number of unemployed doctors and nurses, he said, resulting in recent pickets across the country.
“Comrades, we have hospitals without nurses and doctors, yet at the same time we have unemployed nurses and doctors.
“How can they say we have shortage of doctors when they remain unemployed? We want to make sure that all these people are in employment,” he said.
When it comes to the provision of water, Malema said, the province would soon face a water shedding crisis.
“Very soon we will be having water shedding in the whole of Gauteng because water infrastructure in Gauteng has collapsed. There is nothing that works.
“I do not know why the people of Alexandra would go to a rally of the ANC under Ramaphosa when five years ago, he said he will build one million houses,” he said.
The Star