Last night, I held a constructive engagement with community leaders from the Eldorado Park community and surrounds in a bid to give the City and residents of these communities a much needed platform to air their grievances and explore long term solutions to our challenges.
This follows recent violent protests within Eldorado Park and surrounding areas.

Attending the engagement were community leaders from Eldorado Park and surrounds, including representatives from the:

Greater Eldorado Park Business Forum;
Eldorado Park Community Police Forum;
Education Principals Forum;
Representatives faith based organisations;
Abahlali - Freedom Park;
Community representatives from Slovo Park;
Community activists;
City of Joburg ward councillors;
Eldorado Park Muslim Council; and
CAMISSA.
I would like thank each of these community leaders for their willingness to engage us on their communities’ challenges.

During the meeting, community leaders stressed the communities’ desperate need for dignified housing and economic opportunities.  They also emphasised the cooperation of national, provincial and local government as an essential ingredient to addressing the communities’ challenges.  I whole-heartedly agree.

Today, I will be meeting with the National Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu, the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, Mr Paul Mashatile, and the Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, to discuss the challenges faced by the community of Eldorado Park and others like it.

This meeting, originally scheduled for 10:00 am today, will now take place later this afternoon at 14:00 pm.

Once this meeting is concluded, will provide feedback to the community leaders on government’s proposed way forward, as promised.

We hear our communities’ pleas for better services and dignified lives. I am determined to deliver this to residents of Joburg. 

As we continue working towards finding solutions to these challenges, I ask for our residents’ support and patience; there are no quick fixes to the enormous infrastructure and service delivery backlogs we have inherited, however we are committed to ensuring that the forgotten people receive the receives they are entitled to.

Cllr Herman Mashaba

Executive Mayor

City of Johannesburg

For further information, please contact:

Tony Taverna-Turisan

Director of Communications

Office of the Executive Mayor

City of Johannesburg

Tel: 011 407 7375

Cellular: 082 920 9708

Email: tonyt@joburg.org.za