Herman Mashaba DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate

Maimane said Mashaba had been selected by the DA electoral college to represent the party in the metro.

“I am proud to be part of this great movement of change and to campaign for change in South Africa. Since 1994, Johannesburg has experienced progress. There has been improved housing delivery, utility access, and transport innovations,” Mashaba said at the announcement in Johannesburg.

“However, corruption, hollow promises, poor implementation, and inefficient governance are holding us back, keeping the poor in poverty, and the workless unemployed,” he said.

“It’s now time to turn the page on the past and write a new chapter. Local government is at the forefront of delivering the building blocks of real opportunity for people, and I believe that by bringing change to Johannesburg we can begin to truly redress the imbalances of the past.

“In this modern age of the city, Johannesburg must compete with dynamic African cities like Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos. We live in a constantly changing global economy and Johannesburg’s leadership and innovative edge is threatened today by a government that is taking us backwards,” Mashaba said.

“In the mayor’s office, I will apply the same brand of leadership that I used to build up ‘Black Like Me’ into a business that thrives and feels at home in millions of homes around South Africa. It did not happen by chance. It took grit and drive. When I recruit, employ, and train new workers, I identify the skills my companies need and I pursue them with passion. This is how I intend to provide excellent service delivery for all.

“In the public service, we need to employ people who can do the job, not friends and family. Similarly, we need to match people’s jobs to the work available, and relentlessly seek out investment opportunities.

“That’s why we must have a proper system for attracting that investment, and investors must know that their investments will be treated fairly. Governments don’t create jobs. But smart city administrations create the conditions for a vibrant private sector in which small and medium business can flourish,” he said.

“We must give incentives to small business owners who create jobs and give shares to their workers. We will give title deeds to our citizens to buy their homes and land, so that it becomes much easier for black people to access funds to establish businesses.

“We must also ensure that our infrastructure is in good shape and works. As a city we can and must do better to deliver services. I will ensure that every rand spent by the Johannesburg metro government is spent on quality outcomes, is value for money, and improves the lives of people,” Mashaba said.

“I will not accept the blunting of opportunity of Johannesburg’s youth any more than I would accept it in my own children. I will not be satisfied until every person who can work starts the day with a decent job, or their own small business, and prospects upon which to raise their loved ones.

“A DA government under my leadership will declare war on the dealers of Nyaope and other drugs. We will launch an anti-drug and anti-gang unit in the metro police, and we will evict druglords from the properties they rent from the City of Johannesburg.

“The power to change South Africa is in the voters’ hands. Together, we will change the direction of Africa’s greatest city,” Mashaba said. – 

ANA

(File photo)