In a desperate bid to clean its dented image, the Joburg ANC has hijacked Operation Dudula’s campaign to evict illegal foreign nationals from hijacked Johannesburg buildings.
The move by the former liberation movement is aimed at regaining lost ground ahead of next year’s local government elections.
As political parties across Gauteng unveil their mayoral candidates amidst much fanfare ahead of the municipal polls, the ANC in Johannesburg is moving with speed to push out illegal foreigners from city buildings.
Established by the executive mayor Dada Morero and his so-called “bomb squad”, which is spearheaded by ANC veteran Snuki Zikalala, the ANC is hard at work behind the scenes copying Operation Dudula’s ideas.
Scared of upsetting its “liberation sister movements” across the continent, the ANC has branded its strategy “clean city campaign” to downplay the reality that it intends to see the backside of illegal foreign nationals.
Illegal immigrants in South Africa have been the major sources of ANC government losing legitimacy as it is often seen as tiptoeing around it, especially on the continent’s economic hub, Joburg.
Morero admitted that illegal foreigners were a source of endless headaches for the former liberation movement and its government in Africa’s economic hub. “Undocumented immigrants are one of the main challenges the city faces,” he told Sunday World.
“We’ve strengthened by-law enforcement and crime prevention operations, with the sustained visibility of Johannesburg Metro Police Department, SA Police Service and home affairs. The coordinated presence of these agencies has become a permanent feature in the CBD.”
What sets this initiative apart is its explicit focus on immigration status. “We are engaging in a structured consultation process with all occupants to
verify their residency and immigration status,” Morero said.
Among the first targets is the Florence Nightingale building in Hillbrow, a heritage site occupied by illegal foreigners who are running amok under what the city deems illegal and unsafe conditions.
The structure is privately owned and is undergoing liquidation, after which it will be expropriated by the City to pave the way for private redevelopment under strict preservation guidelines. “The plan is to issue a tender for private developers to buy and redevelop the land. Because it’s a heritage site, the new owners will be required to preserve aspects of the original structure,” said a source.
Driving the initiative to woo voters behind Morero is his so-called “bomb squad” – a team of ANC big wigs tasked with fast-tracking urban renewal and visibly improving service delivery before the all-important municipal polls next year.
“We are saying, with Dada there, let him fix what is broken. The people want service delivery,” said a member of the “bomb squad” task team.
The ANC in Joburg is under siege, with many parties fielding their heavyweights in the race for the mayoral chain in next year’s local government poll.
The DA will be fielding its federal council chairperson, Helen Zille, while the PA has announced Kenny Kunene, with MKP head of elections Bongani Baloyi, a favourite to stand for the gwaza brigade.
The ANC will only select its mayoral candidate next year after interviews and is likely to go the Ethekwini route of tapping into senior leaders from the NEC to save the day.
