Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) aspiring candidate for Luveve-Emakhandeni constituency Descent Collins Bajila says once elected into office he will prioritise the constituency feedback meetings as consultations are critical.
Members of Parliament have three roles and these are oversight, legislative and representational roles where an MP must communicate effectively and give feedback to their constituency for the electorate to be kept informed of key national developments.
Speaking during This Morning on Asakhe, Bajila said he has lived under times when politicians do not come back to engage with citizens.
“When I am elected the member of Parliament, I promise the people of Emakhandeni-Luveve that we are going to do constituency feedback meetings and quarterly constituency consultations, I have lived under times when we have deployed people to Council, Parliament, they do not come back to us to consult. I have been a victim of that and I do not think that by any means I can be a perpetrator of the same,” he said.
“I understand that over the past terms of parliament 2018- 2023, there was a challenge of Covid-19 that for about three years prevented people from holding public meetings but I still think that through innovation there should be other means through which these consultative meetings and these feedback meetings could have been held.”
Meanwhile, Bajila said he also wants to establish Magwegwe reservoir improvement consortium which seeks to ease water challenges in his constituency.
“The other issue that I bring forth and part of my manifesto is that of the establishment of the Magwegwe reservoir improvement consortium to bring tap water to our people 24/7. Firstly, I do not believe that urban areas should have boreholes, we do not need boreholes in urban areas. Boreholes belong to rural areas, in urban areas we have tap water so there cant be pride around boreholes in this time and era,” he said
Bajila added, “The issue around Magwegwe reservoir consortium is such that we need to go to Magwegwe reservoir where our people in Emakhandeni-Luveve drink their water from and ensure that at Magwegwe-reservoir we are capable of getting water from underground and putting it into our people’s tapes, putting it on pipes such that people in urban areas must never live their homes going to look for water.”
He said instead of drilling boreholes in communities, there is a need to have a solar-powered system at Magwegwe reservoir, “we need to end the era of boreholes this time around.”
In addition, Bajila said he will advocate for the amendment of the ZINARA Act to ensure that local and provincial governments are the ones that collect revenue from vehicles.
