Hundreds of ANC members from greater Johannesburg – in collaboration with alliance partners Sanco, the SACP and Cosatu – are marching to the offices of Mayor Herman Mashaba, Premier David Makhura and Eskom to hand over memorandums demanding service delivery.
The members will demand, among other issues, that the City stops electricity cut-offs, that it provides free basic water, and restores Wi-Fi hotspots that have been closed.
ANC regional chair Geoff Makhubo said the memorandum they would be delivering included issues of unemployment, rapid land release and e-tolls.
He said the march was all about the region, on behalf of the people of Johannesburg, raising service delivery deficiencies with both the provincial and the local government.
He said they were demanding better quality services from the government.
"We want them to expedite service delivery in the form of housing delivery," he said.
Makhubo said, because of the cost of living and the struggles facing the economy, they would also be requesting government to improve on service delivery through jobs, so that people could sustain themselves.
#ANCJoburgMarch: Johannesburg regional chair Geoff Makhubo outlines that there will be no violence during March. @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/kJn8lcL9qg
— Sesona Ngqakamba (@Sesona_Ngqaks) October 5, 2018
Allegations of corruption in the city
"Secondly, we want to say to the premier that we've raised issues about Johannesburg, around corruption and administration," he said.
Makhubo said that they also wanted Makhura to investigate all allegations surrounding the administration and corruption in the city.
The marchers intended to first deliver a memorandum at the Eskom offices in Braamfontein.
#ANCJoburgMarch: Gauteng Premier David Makhura has made an appearance at the venue where the match will start from. He has now left after speaking to the organisers. @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/FGECJvxCeZ
— Sesona Ngqakamba (@Sesona_Ngqaks) October 5, 2018
Makhubo said they were demanding that Eskom upgrade its supply in areas like Soweto and Ivory Park. Electricity cut-offs "cause pain to our children", he said. "They can't study, because there's no electricity."
Dan Bovu, head of organising and campaigns for the ANC, said they hoped that the City of Johannesburg would respond to their demands.
"We really hope that they will respond in no time in putting pressure on national government regarding e-tolls and the issue of unemployment," Bovu said.
Bovu said youth unemployment was also an issue they were going to be addressing.
He added that they also want local government to reconnect water that had been cut off from residents.