Druglords must be evicted from Eldorado Park

Note to editors: This speech was delivered to the Eldorado Park community during a mass march on a government building housing druglords today.

Today we have marched on the druglords to say enough is enough: we are tired of drug crime in Eldorado Park and we are tired of broken promises from Zuma's ANC.

Today we are saying that the fight is still within the people of Eldorado Park to defeat the druglords who are trying to tear this community apart.

This building we have marched on is owned by the provincial government but druglords operate here every day without fear.

Why it is that everybody knows where the druglords live but the police never make any arrests?

That is why we are here to make 5 pledges to the people of Eldorado Park today. As Gauteng Premier it will be my commitment to:

- Evict druglords from all government property and shut down every drug den one by one

- Pass a provincial law that gives more power to Drug Action Committees, CPF's and NGO's in the fight against drugs

- Campaign for more cops in Eldorado, more convictions and the removal of corrupt cops from the system

- Use our powers to push for special drug and K9 units that will take the fight to these criminals

- Build more treatment centres in drug-affected areas to match the 27 operating where the DA governs in the Western Cape

We have had enough of broken promises from the Premier and President Zuma. Everything they said here in Eldorado Park was just a publicity exercise.

What happened to the promise of evicting druglords when they are free to sell drugs to our children from a government building?

What happened to the promise of a treatment centre for people affected by drugs when there are only a handful in the whole province and none operated by government in Eldorado? 

What happened to the promise of funds for our children's studies when this week they are sitting at home, vulnerable to druglords?

What happened to the promise of factories and jobs in Eldorado Park when the first brick has not even been laid a year after Zuma came here?

We know that the single biggest causes of drug abuse are joblessness and hopelessness. That is why our first priority in government will be job creation. Under Zuma's ANC 1.4 million more South Africans are unemployed today.

We must show Zuma's ANC what we think of their broken promises by voting them out of government on 7 May.

Together we can defeat druglords in this community. Together we can create jobs and make this community a safe and prosperous place for our children.

Statement issued by Mmusi Maimane, DA Gauteng Premier Candidate, March 16 2014

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