Ntshavheni promises action on service delivery and crime ahead of Ramaphosa’s address

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says citizens can expect President Cyril Ramaphosa to address key issues affecting them in tonight’s State of the Nation Address, including the water crisis in Gauteng, crime, and the impact of foot-and-mouth disease.

After a flurry of early activity outside the Cape Town City Hall, service providers are now trying to secure outdoor structures from being blown away by the Cape Doctor before the early evening parade begins.

In a city marked by stark disparities, where many say they are not interested in hearing what the President has to say, Ntshavheni says it is important that all South Africans feel the impact of their government delivering services to them.

As the country’s economic hub and parts of the Garden Route battle water shortages in a municipal election year, Ntshavheni says the President will address service delivery challenges and the inability of municipalities to provide basic services.

“The majority of the problems we have here is because there’s no capacity at the local government level, so he will make that announcement in terms of that intervention.”

On the issue of crime, Ntshavheni has taken a swipe at the City of Cape Town’s plans to build a security wall along one of its major highways in an attempt to curb opportunistic crime.

“We need to have a conversation with the Western Cape government to say, how do we work together, how do we intervene in those areas that are very underprivileged and are not seeing progress, to say, building a wall, will that deal with the crime situation?”

The President will address the nation at 7 pm.

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