By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za
Recently , Shadrack Mkhonto and ActionSA president Herman Mashaba were interviewed by Alex FM anchor Muntu Mbanjwa on his show called Sweet Sunday talk show. The show airs from 22pm to 00h00am.
During the interview Mashaba spoke about how he started a ‘Black Like Me’ product in the early 80’s, his political activism, from when he joined the DA, how he became the mayor of Johannesburg, his resignation; and to when he formed his own party .
Shocking statement by ActionSA (Read)
However, Mkhonto was interviewed about his political background from the time he was an ANC activist in Alexandra, his time in the DA, services he rendered to Alexandra residents and his resignation from the DA after serving two terms as PR councillor deployed in Alexandra specifically at ward 105.
The agenda was about service delivery , housing issues and youth unemployment in Alex.
Mkhonto said when he was an ANC activist between the year 2000 and 2001, he and other leaders in Alexandra township stopped the City of Johannesburg (COJ) from unfairly relocating residents who had erected shacks around Jukskei River.
However, the idea to remove people, he said, was ok because of imminent floods which had potential of destroying their shacks as they were erected near danger zones.
Was Mkhonto removed? (Read)
“But the system used to relocate people to Diepsloot was not right because people were moved and dumped. In Diepsloot, they were given 6 corrugated iron zincs and 6 poles to build their shacks . But those who were moved to Braamfisherville were better because they were given RDP structures .
“I fought the unfair relocations of people to Diepsloot and took the issue to public protector ‘s office ADV S. A. M Bagwa.
“When the office of the public protector took time to respond, we then took the issue to the ward councillor under the DA.
“The ward councillor then invited his MP who was the constituency head. We reported the issue to them and they took the matter to Parliament. Within few weeks, we received a positive response . The COJ was instructed to find an alternative land nearby Alex to accommodate the people who were being moved from alongside Jukskei.
“To me and my team, that was a victory and the community regarded us as their heroes in 2001,” he said.
The Shark, as he now calls himself says the involvement of the DA in helping people, resulted in him dumping the ANC and joined the DA.
“The points we outlined to the then Gauteng MEC for Housing , Paul Mashatile included the following:
- Conditions in Diepsloot were not conducive to be used as a transit camp due to lack of basic facilities;
- We demanded that evictions from Alexandra must be stopped until an alternative land was identified so that RDP houses could be built for the people;
- Evictions in Alexandra must be stopped and there should be negotiations to acquire land in and around Alex.”
He said they were happy when the DA came to their rescue in that regard. ” We joined the DA because of those reasons by then.
Why did ActionSA say this? (Read)
“In no time, RDP houses were built in Alexandra at an open space between Tsutsumani and Kwa-Bhekilanga High School. COJ built 402 RDP houses where people from Alex were moved to. This is another important work I did. Many might not know that Alexandra ext1 is there because of me and the leadership I worked with. Some of them have already passed on.
“Between 2009 and 10 COJ came with another project to build RDP flats which is called K206; ext 9 and extension 10. About 2000 RDP flats were built and about 1750 rental flats attached to the RDP flats were built . Those who had qualified for RDP houses were given flats and those who didn’t were given rental units.”
Alex land won’t be solved because of this ( Read)
The mayor of Alex said that contributed to prolonged fights, because those who occupied the rental rooms didn’t want to pay rent to those who occupied the flats .
“The ward councillor of the ANC and the COJ failed to solve the problem. I was asked by some residents of the area to assist as a DA PR councillor because by 2011 I was elected on the DA ticket to be the PR deployed in ward 105.
Did this really happen to Mkhonto? (Read)
Is Mkhonto bitter? (Read)
“I took the matter to public protector on the 19 February 2014 asking them to intervene and solve the issue between the landlords and tenants, but nothing happened. They kept on dilly-dallying until later in 2016 when the DA became the governing party of COJ with the help of EFF and other smaller parties who formed coalition.
“I then took the matter to the COJ and managed to stop the war. I told the rivals that nobody owned the structures because they all belonged to the City.
“The landlords and the tenants have been smoking the peace pipe since 2016. All of the above happened because of my intervention. Those are the works I have done for Alexandrians all those years.
“In 2018, Wits University invited me to have a meeting with them. I met with professor Andre and others, who asked me to help them coordinate people from Alexandra who dropped out of universities and colleges because of lack of finances. Wits said they had sponsorship to assist those who were doing level 5, 6 and 7.
“I then agreed to assist and went to Alex FM to announce that and the response was huge. We used Vintage Point venue at corner 3rd avenue and Selbourne to register the people below 35 and 40 years of age.
“About 600 people responded for level 5 and 6. The lessons took place at Vintage Point, while level 7 lessons took place at Wits premises. They were sponsored with books ,food and transport (for those who were studying at Sits).
“In 2020, I got many messages from those who managed to pass and got their degrees,” he said.
Mkhonto said during disaster periods, he helped people with building materials and well as food parcels . “I helped disabled people with wheel chairs in 2017,18 and 19.
“I also helped some students to purchase laptops to further their studies. I am not called a mayor of Alex for nothing for I did a lot for the Alexandrians,” he said.
Mkhonto calls himself the black mamba , the servant of the people , the Mascot of Alexandra – the mayor, amongst others.