'We have had enough' - Human Settlements Chairwoman Nomhle Dambuza

'We have had enough' - ANC MP Committee Chairwoman - Nomhle Dambuza


ANC MPs have laid into senior Gauteng government officials for "driving flashy cars" but not attending to the plight of poor communities, telling the provincial executives that enough is enough.The MPs were angry because the Gauteng government did not follow up on Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale's promise that the community of Diepsloot should be provided with water and toilets.Members of the National Assembly's committee on human settlements told the provincial officials yesterday that they would not accept the excuse by the department.Committee chairwoman Nomhle Dambuza (ANC) said they had had enough of government officials not doing their work while busy driving "flashy cars".

The officials were in Parliament to brief MPs on the progress made since Sexwale visited the Diepsloot area, north of Joburg, in August to get a first-hand account of the residents' living conditions. Gauteng department of local government and housing acting chief executive Bongani More and chief director Linda Ngcobo made the presentation to the MPs.The two admitted that they had not followed up on the plight of Diepsloot residents. Ngcobo said that after Sexwale's visit to the area, the City of Joburg had consulted the community, but she did not know what had happened since then. Her response elicited an angry rebuke from Dambuza, who lashed Ngcobo and the other officials for their failure to address the problem more than three months after the minister's visit. "The minister was there at the beginning of August. As the portfolio committee, we can't accept that there were talks (between the council and community, and it was not clear what had transpired). "Can you afford not to have sanitation for one day? That is not acceptable. We have had enough. Communities are being undermined by our machinery. We have seen this in the Eastern Cape. People are living without toilets and officials are driving flashy cars," said a visibly angry Dambuza.

There is hope for us!!! Thank you Hon Dambuza! I am sure now you will understand the frustration one has to contend with when dealing with provincial officials, not only in Gauteng, but in all nine provinces...