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Stuff from Johannesburg

Mayor Williams will restore DA stability, good governance, and service delivery to Tshwane

Dear Johannesburg

The Democratic Alliance (DA) congratulates its candidate Randall Williams and his team on his election as Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane at a Council meeting today after months of turmoil and uncertainty in our nation’s capital.

This follows the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on Tuesday, which affirmed the DA’s position that the City had been illegally placed under administration by the Gauteng Provincial Government. Tshwane has suffered months of governance paralysis due to the ANC having continuously rendered the council ungovernable.

The SCA ruling proved what we have been saying all along: that the illegal administration in Tshwane was nothing more than a desperate power grab by the ANC.

Randall Williams’ election is a vital step in putting Tshwane back on the right track under a competent DA-administration, and I am delighted that we can now carry out the mandate of the voters in our nation’s capital to bring the change its residents so deserve.

During the 8-month period of administration, the City of Tshwane has gone down a path of regression and deterioration as services have stagnated. From ongoing power failures, water outages, and refuse removal coming to a complete standstill – service delivery has completely declined under the ANC-administration.

Today, the people of Tshwane can rest assured that good, clean, and effective DA governance is back in town. Today, we begin the hard work of bringing stability and service back to our nation’s Capital. Today we set things right.

Mayor Williams’ focus is to fix and perfect basic and essential service delivery, and lay down the foundations of a strong and capable administration to best serve and provide for the city and its residents.

This will include:

  • Fixing streetlights;
  • Fixing potholes and painting road markings;
  • Making sure people have access to water, especially in Hammanskraal; and
  • Cleaning up the City.

This is the DA’s promise to the people of Tshwane. When we get the basics right, businesses thrive, communities become safer, and residents have a better quality of life.

Mayor Williams has also committed himself to rooting out the challenges left by the Gauteng Provincial Government’s illegal administration in Tshwane, and sweeping clean city departments to restore financial stability and transparency.

I have every confidence that Mayor Williams will again lead Tshwane into prosperity and good governance, and demonstrate to the city’s residents what the power of a DA vote means. I look forward to getting to work so that we can turn the City of Tshwane into yet another bastion of DA excellence.

Regards

John Steenhuisen MP
Leader of the Democratic Alliance

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The Socio-Political Crucible of Soweto

You cannot understand Johannesburg without understanding Soweto (an acronym for South Western Townships). Originally established as a “labor dormitory” to house black miners away from the white city center, Soweto grew into a sprawling metropolis of over 1.3 million people and became the epicenter of the struggle against Apartheid.

The township is home to Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was also the site of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when thousands of students protested against the forced use of Afrikaans in schools. The police response and the subsequent death of 13-year-old Hector Pieterson catalyzed international condemnation of the Apartheid regime. Today, Soweto is a vibrant cultural hub, blending historical landmarks like the Orlando Towers (now used for bungee jumping) with a booming tourism industry and a sophisticated middle class. It represents the city’s resilience—a place born from segregation that transformed into a symbol of liberation and modern South African identity.