Slovo Park receives R50 million electrification upgrade
Updated | By Neo Motloung
Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba launched the city's electrification of Slovo Park informal settlement, south of Johannesburg on Monday.
The city of Johannesburg has allocated R50 million to electrify Slovo Park, which involves upgrading the Nancefield substation as a source of power supply in the area.
Mashaba says he is disappointed that 23 years into democracy, residents of Slovo Park still live without electricity.
"When 1994 came I said here it is, we are going to see an explosion of our people, their God given talents. Gara-Motse village where I was born was not as bad as this," says Mashaba.
The mayor further adds that declaring Johannesburg as a 'World Class African City' is "nonsense."
"What is world class about the living conditions of Slovo Park? What is world class about the living conditions of our people?"
Mashaba criticized the previous African National Congress (ANC) administration, led by former mayor Parks Tau.
He says the previous administration was obsessed with with international trips and self advertising.
Mashaba highlighted that Tau's administration spent R153 million in two years on self-promoting advertising and R193 million was spent on traveling in three years, while residents of the city lived in poor conditions.
Mashaba says it only took them six months to finalise Slovo Park's electrification.
"Unfortunately I've inherited an environment that is totally abnormal... if you look at the level of corruption," says Mashaba.
He says within months of leading the city, the Democratic Alliance led coalition has uncovered R18 billion in corruption in the metro.
Mashaba also apologised to the residents of Slovo Park for the failure of a democratically elected government led by the ANC.
"I will apologise on behalf of the new democracy you voted for in 1994, for failing you."
The mayor says helping communities such as Slovo Park is part of his administration's pro-poor agenda.
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