ActionSA steps into DBNLM

KAROO NEWS - ActionSA provincial leader, Athol Trollip, addressed key activists for ActionSA within the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality (DBNLM) on Friday 10 March.

These activists came from Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen and Klipplaat to attend his address on the challenges facing the province.

Trollip gave feedback on a five-week campaign that was run by ActionSA across all nine provinces before the SONA to inform ActionSA president, Herman Mashaba, as to what needed to be addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trollip said the party believes in seeing with their feet and engaging with South Africans about their lived reality.

Trollip explained and encouraged activists to join the party's focused approach on the issues of education, safety, security, crime, corruption, the local and national economy, energy generation and Eskom service delivery.

"These are the issues that affect the lives of the people of this province," Trollip said. He mentioned that Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, recently admitted that "the ANC had let the people of the rural areas of the province down".

"The pervasive and grinding poverty has resulted in unprecedented and accelerated urbanisation in this province to the two metros, to Gauteng and the Western Cape in search of employment and greener pastures. This has dislocated families and led to job seekers living in unimaginable socio-economic conditions in informal squatter camps in what can only be described as "twilight zones" of deprivation. The responsibility for this misery and the highest unemployment rates (adults almost 50% and youth almost 70%) must be laid squarely at the door of the governing ANC," Trollip said.

He quoted the late Patrice Lumumba saying, "The tragedy in Africa is that those with ideas are not in government, those in government have no ideas and those who elect the government, elect those without ideas." He encouraged ActionSA supporters to act now stating that "the ANC is like a heavyweight boxer in the 11th round that has been pummelled by his opponent and is hanging on for dear life. If the ANC is saved by the bell, they may come back in the 12th round and knock SA out. That is why it is so important that we, Action SA, must persevere and knock them out now in the 11th and final round."

Reaching out to the DBNLM community are ActionSA provincial leader, Athol Trollip (far left) and local activists Daniel Williams, Gloria Williams, Terrence Jansen, Allan Webster, Wayne Seekoei, Yunita Van Sensie, Jessica Paulse, Isha Seekoei and Lee-Ann Kekana. Photos: Pieter Pienaar