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Job Creation Plan for 173 000

By

Athol Trollip
Athol Trollip speaks in front of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro City Hall in Port Elizabeth

The following is an extract from a speech delivered by DA Mayoral Candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay, Athol Trollip, in front of PE’s City Hall after the DA’s march for jobs. Trollip was accompanied by DA Chief Whip John Steenhuisen MP, DA National Spokesperson Phumzile Van Damme MP and DA Youth Leader Yusuf Cassim MP:

The DA has a plan to create jobs in NMB, and the DA has a record of creating jobs where we govern.

The DA-led City of Cape Town created 4000 jobs in the first quarter of 2016, reducing unemployment to 21.1% – the lowest of any South African Metro. During the same period, the unemployment figure in NMB rose to 33.2%, with 21 000 additional people added to the growing number of unemployed residents. It is clear that job-creation isn’t something Mayor Jordaan takes seriously. Jobs are being lost at a rapid rate and yet no body accounts for this.

The DA march to City Hall shows that we hold the ANC responsible for the job losses in NMB, and that the DA challenges Danny Jordaan to defend his record of losing jobs, rather than creating them.

The DA made an unambiguous statement to the NMB Municipality today to demand Mayor Jordaan comes out and explain his job loss-record.

The ANC clearly has no plan to create jobs – unemployment grows where the ANC governs, and unemployment reduces where the DA governs. Where the ANC governs rampant corruption, political meddling and incompetence plague the EPWP, SMME and other informal employment project networks, evidenced by the suspension of various construction projects – this must be ended on 03 August.

The DA will create thousands of real jobs by investing in infrastructure led growth that provides the environment conducive to private sector investment.

With a R23 billion infrastructure maintenance backlog in Nelson Mandela Bay, it is abundantly clear that consecutive years of neglect has led to this massive increase in unemployment, for which the ANC has no answers.

Working with local small and micro enterprises, business chambers and regional economic development agencies, a DA-led government in NMB will promote local businesses regionally and nationally.

By creating job zones and opportunity centres, a DA-led Nelson Mandela Bay will provide residents with one-stop shops for dealing with licensing, land use and tax advice.

Furthermore, red tape will be slashed by streamlining and enforcing by-laws, and providing assistance to start-up companies. Entrepreneurs are the key to job-creation and need to be supported by smart governance.

The time of ANC broken promises is over. Broken promises must be swept away in this election, and every voter can do this.

Only the DA’s offer of change is credible as where we have come to govern, we have shown we can deliver change, good governance and jobs, while putting an end to corruption.

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Port Elizabethan

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