Ekurhuleni residents slam Presidential Imbizo as waste of money

Ekurhuleni residents have slammed today’s visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying Presidential imbizos don’t yield any results.

Ramaphosa’s first Presidential Imbizo under the Government of National Unity, was met with criticism from residents.

The president was flanked by several cabinet members, including COGTA Minister Velinkosini Hlabisa, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, and Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie.

The meeting aimed to provide a platform for residents to express their concerns.

However, residents struggling with drug abuse, high crime, and food insecurity in their communities have criticised Imbizos for failing to bring about meaningful change.

Ramaphosa has argued that hosting these events, despite their cost, allows government officials to directly engage with citizens.

Elderly residents were particularly vocal at the Imbizo.

Bernard Masondo called for land reform, emphasizing the need for land to be returned to the people so they could grow their own food.

Mrs Nogama stressed the need to address youth unemployment, as idle young people are turning to drug abuse.

Other residents appealed to President Ramaphosa to intervene in issues like safe school environments.

Gogo Tshidi from Barcelona made a heartfelt plea to rebuild damaged infrastructure at her local primary school.

Elderly residents also emphasized the need for better schools in the community, noting that scholar transport accidents could be avoided if young children didn’t have to travel long distances.

One elderly resident, aged 75, shared her frustration about waiting for an RDP house since 1994.

The old lady says she was shocked to learn in 2015 that her housing application had never been processed.

The Imbizo, while aimed at engaging citizens, left some residents feeling unheard and uncertain about the effectiveness of such events in driving change.

Some residents who waited in line for hours were disappointed that they couldn’t voice their concerns directly to the President before his departure.

They were asked to write down their grievances on pieces of paper, which officials promised to address.