THE Congress of the People (Cope) has elected its Gauteng premier candidate, Tom Mofokeng.
He expressed his readiness to clean and fix the province if elected in the upcoming elections on 29 May.
Mofokeng believes Gauteng has a lot of potential to create jobs and manufacture goods. However, he pointed out that due to the lack of professional leadership, these opportunities are not being realised.
In an interview with Daily Sun on Friday, 26 April at their offices, he shared his observations from his time serving at the Ekurhuleni Municipality.
"I've seen people who are incapable of managing the resources of our cities and the province. We need to professionalise this government and bring in professionals to help us tackle the challenges the province faces," he said.
Mofokeng emphasised that appointing qualified young people to positions like town planning is crucial, rather than relying on personal connections. He also highlighted the importance of using the skilled individuals produced by universities to address issues, including water problems.
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A key priority for Mofokeng is addressing the deteriorating infrastructure, which he said was largely built by the apartheid government and has been neglected by the current administration.
"The entire province's infrastructure is in a state of decay. We've inherited it from the apartheid era, and no one has developed a plan to fix it. My number one goal is to overhaul this," he said.
Furthermore, Cope announced a collaborative partnership with Bakgatla ba Mosetlha in Makapanstad, North West.
This partnership emerged from a meeting between party leader Mosiou Lekota, Mofokeng, Kgosi Nchaupe III Makapan, and the traditional leadership of the Bakgatla ba Mosetlha Tribal Council.
Cope's acting general secretary, Erick Mohlapamaswi, said that the meeting focused on township and rural development, a key area in their party's manifesto.
Both parties plan to meet again to establish a solid working relationship with the 36 Villages led by Kgosi Nchaupe.
