I have been where the 869 000 unemployed Johannesburg residents find themselves today. I have been poor, and I have been hungry. I have been in the position of drinking water to fight off hunger.

In 1985, I decided that if I was ever going to be hungry again, it would be because of my own actions, not because the apartheid government decided for me. I would not allow anyone to determine my future and so I started a business.

Today, I am again resolute not to allow my future to be determined by the corrupt and self-serving ANC government.

This once great liberation movement is today morally and ethically bankrupt, and it has dismally failed to find solutions to the unemployment crisis facing our country.

For too long the City of Joburg’s Mayor, Parks Tau has ignored the unemployment crisis.

Under his watch the unemployment rate has risen from 27% to 31%. Every single day, at least 750 people in Johannesburg are added to the list of the unemployed.

The jobs bloodbath in Joburg is a scar on Tau’s record. He has failed each and every one of those 869 000 people and his silence on this crisis is deafening.

I am the DA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, because I know what it takes to run a successful business, and I am going to use those skills to grow Johannesburg’s economy and create jobs.

The ANC is absolutely correct when they say I’m not a politician.

I am not.

And I can tell you now, that I do not want to be considered a politician.

My motivation for entering public office is to serve the residents of Johannesburg.

I am not doing so because I am a political expert, I am doing so because I am a successful businessman, an entrepreneur, and that, I believe, is what qualifies me to run the economic engine room of the country – the City of Johannesburg.

Any government who believes they can create jobs on their own is misguided.

Let’s take a moment to consider how that has worked out for the ANC. The only job-creation that the ANC can take credit for, is the bloated civil service, where they have stuffed their incompetent cronies into our public institutions.

A government’s actual role in job-creation, is to create an enabling environment for businesses to establish themselves, flourish, and thereby create permanent jobs.

If elected mayor, job creation will be my number one priority. I am going to put the ‘JOB’ back into Joburg.

The first thing I am going to do is professionalise the public service by hiring the very best people to run a city that attracts investment and creates jobs.

I am going to increase spending on job-creating infrastructure like roads, electricity, housing, and transport by R1 billion over the short term.

Small businesses create jobs. I will cut the red tape, subsidise city-owned property rentals, and prioritise small businesses in City procurement.

I will carve up big contracts and tenders, so that small businesses can participate in the city’s economy.

I accept that not all job-seekers have skills.

I will expand employment opportunities to this group of people by providing “

The following is an extract from a speech delivered by the DA’s Johannesburg Mayoral Candidate, Herman Mashaba, during a press conference in Tshwane where DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane MP, outlined the Party’s plan for job creation at local government level. Also in attendance at the press conference were DA Mayoral Candidates for Tshwane, Solly Msimanga MPL, and Ekurhuleni, Ghaleb Cachalia.

I have been where the 869 000 unemployed Johannesburg residents find themselves today. I have been poor, and I have been hungry. I have been in the position of drinking water to fight off hunger.

In 1985, I decided that if I was ever going to be hungry again, it would be because of my own actions, not because the apartheid government decided for me. I would not allow anyone to determine my future and so I started a business.

Today, I am again resolute not to allow my future to be determined by the corrupt and self-serving ANC government.

This once great liberation movement is today morally and ethically bankrupt, and it has dismally failed to find solutions to the unemployment crisis facing our country.

For too long the City of Joburg’s Mayor, Parks Tau has ignored the unemployment crisis.

Under his watch the unemployment rate has risen from 27% to 31%. Every single day, at least 750 people in Johannesburg are added to the list of the unemployed.

The jobs bloodbath in Joburg is a scar on Tau’s record. He has failed each and every one of those 869 000 people and his silence on this crisis is deafening.

I am the DA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, because I know what it takes to run a successful business, and I am going to use those skills to grow Johannesburg’s economy and create jobs.

The ANC is absolutely correct when they say I’m not a politician.

I am not.

And I can tell you now, that I do not want to be considered a politician.

My motivation for entering public office is to serve the residents of Johannesburg.

I am not doing so because I am a political expert, I am doing so because I am a successful businessman, an entrepreneur, and that, I believe, is what qualifies me to run the economic engine room of the country – the City of Johannesburg.

Any government who believes they can create jobs on their own is misguided.

Let’s take a moment to consider how that has worked out for the ANC. The only job-creation that the ANC can take credit for, is the bloated civil service, where they have stuffed their incompetent cronies into our public institutions.

A government’s actual role in job-creation, is to create an enabling environment for businesses to establish themselves, flourish, and thereby create permanent jobs.

If elected mayor, job creation will be my number one priority. I am going to put the ‘JOB’ back into Joburg.

The first thing I am going to do is professionalise the public service by hiring the very best people to run a city that attracts investment and creates jobs.

I am going to increase spending on job-creating infrastructure like roads, electricity, housing, and transport by R1 billion over the short term.

Small businesses create jobs. I will cut the red tape, subsidise city-owned property rentals, and prioritise small businesses in City procurement.

I will carve up big contracts and tenders, so that small businesses can participate in the city’s economy.

I accept that not all job-seekers have skills.

I will expand employment opportunities to this group of people by providing “schools to skills” programmes, where school-leavers will be trained in how to handle the world of a business-leading city economy.

I will provide free transport allowances and Wi-Fi for job seekers and ensure that nobody needs an ANC membership card to get an EPWP job.

I will work with the private sector to develop early learning day care centres in townships across Johannesburg. This will allow moms and dads to return to work knowing that their children are being cared for.

I am a businessman who has never compromised on the quality of the services and products my businesses have offered.

I want to bring my brand of business to Johannesburg on the 4th of August, and I want to get the city working again.

Because when Johannesburg works, South Africa works.

schools to skills” programmes, where school-leavers will be trained in how to handle the world of a business-leading city economy.

I will provide free transport allowances and Wi-Fi for job seekers and ensure that nobody needs an ANC membership card to get an EPWP job.

I will work with the private sector to develop early learning day care centres in townships across Johannesburg. This will allow moms and dads to return to work knowing that their children are being cared for.

I am a businessman who has never compromised on the quality of the services and products my businesses have offered.

I want to bring my brand of business to Johannesburg on the 4th of August, and I want to get the city working again.

Because when Johannesburg works, South Africa works.