By Akani Nkuna
Democratic Alliance (DA) Emfuleni mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala has unveiled a six-point plan to improve service delivery in the municipality as the party steps up its campaign ahead of the November Local Government Elections (LGE).
Speaking at the DA’s campaign launch in Stretford, Vereeniging, on Friday, Chabalala said his first priority would be to build a clean, professional and corruption-free municipality.
He said corruption had devastated communities and contributed to social problems, as well as the neglect and deterioration of municipal infrastructure.
His second priority is to fix and invest in infrastructure, which he said would create jobs, improve community safety and attract investment.
“Priority number two is to fix and invest in our infrastructure because we understand the benefits of investing and fixing our infrastructure. You invest and fix infrastructure, you create job opportunities for our people. You invest and fix infrastructure, you create a safer environment for our communities,” Chabalala said.
He said investment in infrastructure would also make the municipality more attractive to investors and help empower small businesses.
Chabalala, 50, has been involved in politics since his school days at Qedilizwe Primary School in Evaton, Sebokeng, where he was a member of the South African Students Congress (SASCO).
He joined the DA in 2008 and is currently the party’s deputy chairperson in the Vaal Region.
In 2011, he served as a DA proportional representation councillor in Emfuleni before being elected to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in 2014.
He currently serves on the Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee and the Petitions Standing Committee. He has also served as a board member of the Rural Development Initiative.
Chabalala holds several qualifications, including a National Diploma in Public Administration from Regenesys Business School and a certificate from the DA’s political programme. He is currently studying towards a master’s degree in international politics at the University of Johannesburg.
The DA announced Chabalala as its Emfuleni mayoral candidate in February. At the time, he acknowledged the municipality’s service delivery challenges and pledged to address them.
At Friday’s launch, Chabalala identified the provision of basic services as the party’s third priority.
He also pledged to tackle what he described as entrenched nepotism within the municipality, alleging that people associated with the African National Congress (ANC) had been appointed to positions.
Chabalala further committed to growing the local economy by creating an environment in which businesses can operate and expand.
He accused the ANC-led coalition government in Emfuleni of failing to provide businesses with the services and infrastructure needed to thrive.
“Under my leadership, I want residents to ask, ‘What did you do?’ and not, ‘What did you promise, nor what did you announce or blame someone else for?’ I want them to ask: Did you fix the sewer? Did you collect refuse? Did you fix the road? Did you restore water to our communities? Did you resolve the problems?” Chabalala said.
He blamed the ANC for what he described as the municipality’s persistent challenges, including neglected sewage infrastructure.
Chabalala said these problems were not a reflection of the inability of people in the community, but rather the result of what he called an “ANC that has allowed the culture of failure to become normal”.
“We need a professional municipality that employs competent people. A municipality where hardworking employees are respected and held accountable. A municipality where corruption is investigated and wrongdoing has consequences,” he said.
Chabalala also called for an end to what he described as a culture of blame-shifting among municipal leaders, urging them to accept responsibility for shortcomings while implementing measures to address service delivery failures.
