Democratic Alliance (DA) premier candidate Nqaba Bhanga visited small businesses at the Zwelitsha Taxi Rank on Thursday January 17, as well as the Highway Taxi Rank in Mdantsane.
He was accompanied by EC premier campaign spokesperson for basic services Kevin Mileham, EC premier campaign spokesperson for youth Mawethu Kosani, and Buffalo City Metro (BCM) councillors Dharmesh Dhaya and Terence Fritz.
According to Bhanga, people were complaining that there had been little to no investment from government over the last 15 years. Basic services such as water, roads, sanitation and electricity were either poorly maintained or lacking entirely.
“It is unacceptable that these hard-working individuals, who are driven to succeed in the face of adversity, receive so little support from their government.
“Government has a duty to ensure that there is an environment conducive to economic development,” said Bhanga said.
He urged BCM to clean up areas where informal traders operated and to provide them with shelter.and said that shelters must be provided for themto protect traders and their goods from inclement weather.
He also said basic services such as like water and electricity were essential to allow informal traders to operate at their full potential.
“In this way, more consumers will be attracted to support informal traders, leading to growth and jobs,” Bhanga said.
