Johannesburg mayor takes BDS to task for ‘sensationalist article’

JEWISH REPORT STAFF

“At the same time, BDS has made no effort whatsoever to verify these comments with me or my office. This should go a long way showing the real intentions of BDS in releasing a sensationalist article.”

BDS had publicly expressed disappointment over reports that Mashaba was reviewing, and planning to limit the links between Johannesburg and the Palestinian city of Ramallah, in the West Bank.

Ties between the two cities had been forged between 2014 and 2015 under former ANC Mayor Parks Tau who had signed an MOU between Johannesburg and Ramallah as well as inaugurating a statue of Nelson Mandela there earlier this year.

ANC Regional Secretary Dada Morero warned in August that, “This very MOU with Palestine’s Ramallah and solidarity with the Palestinian people may now be in jeopardy under the DA; in addition, our fear extends to other progressive pro-poor policies that were put in place in the last decade now being reversed by the DA.”

Morero also said that Mashaba appointed a pro-Israeli sympathiser, Rabelani Dagada, as his Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance.

But, according to Mashaba, BDS South Africa was being used by the ANC to drive a political agenda, “using religion as a means to divide our communities for narrow political gain”.

 “Our new administration will work to unite our residents from all backgrounds on the basis of building a city we can all be proud to call home,” he added.

Mayor Mashaba said he met with the Mayor of Ramallah, Mousa Hadid and the Palestine Minister of Local Government, Dr Hussein Alaraj on November 9, “as I have done with many other mayors and ambassadors from across the world”.

He pointed out that it had been a courtesy visit by the Ramallah mayor and he called the meeting “both cordial and respectful; there was no hostility from either of us”.

Added Mayor Mashaba: “During our meeting I also informed the Mayor of Ramallah, as I have done with all other mayors I have met, that it is the early days of our new administration and our current focus is on addressing the domestic challenges faced in our city. It was indicated that we would turn our attention in a more focused manner to international relationships in the early part of 2017.”

The Johannesburg mayor said his priority is finding solutions to the unemployment of over 800 000 residents; the plight of Johannesburg residents living in 180 informal settlements, many of whom do not have access to even the most basic of services; the over R200 billion infrastructure backlog in the city; and deep-rooted corruption in government which steals from the poor and hampers the city’s ability to deliver services to the people.

“My approach to our international relationships will be defined by who we can work with to achieve real solutions to our very real challenges. This is the responsible thing to do.

“We must be a responsive and caring government, catering for the urgent needs of our people at home instead of grandstanding on the international arena, trying to be internationally what we are not achieving for our residents at home.”

Mayor Mashaba says the Ramallah Mayor and his delegation were “very understanding” of this position, and “we shared our common challenges in local government”.