“Abathumeki,” DA says after Ramaphosa turns his back on Tembisa fire

The Democratic Alliance has called President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC leaders “dreadfully uncaring” after they left the scene of a burning shack in the Tswelopele informal settlement in Tembisa on Friday.

A shack caught fire as Ramaphosa was speaking about the need to electrify the area and build decent houses for the residents.

The address was part of the ANC’s “Thuma Mina” (send me) campaign launch in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. “Abathumeki,” (they’re unable to be sent) the DA said in their statement.

“It is dreadfully uncaring and highly hypocritical of President Cyril Ramaphosa to have turned his back on today’s Tembisa fire, as he sped away in his bullet-proof convoy while houses burnt down.

“While Ramaphosa was in the area to make more empty promises about services, the clearest sign of a failing ANC government revealed itself right behind him in the form of a shack fire,” DA national spokesperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe said.

Ramaphosa was nearing the end of his speech when the fire started, with residents rushing off to the shack to help put the fire out. The fire was believed to have been sparked by a primus stove, which led to other shacks also catching fire.

Firefighters were called in to douse the flames after Ramaphosa dashed off to the next stop on the schedule.

The campaign is named after the popular song by veteran musician Hugh Masekela, which Ramaphosa quoted from in his state of the nation address earlier this year.

“Instead of making their community into a campaign platform, he ought to have dealt with their serious service backlog that keeps the community in oppressive poverty,” Nt’sekhe said.

The party called on Ramaphosa to apologise to the community and to give them detailed timelines on when the community would receive services.

Nt’sekhe added, “While Mr Ramaphosa may turn his back, DA members will step in to help residents with donations of food, clothing and building materials”.

The ANC responded in a statement and said it was disgusted by the DA's "poor attempt to remain relevant".

"Following the fire breakout, president Ramaphosa immediately instructed the Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni Comrade Mzwandile Masina to attend to the unfortunate incident and ensure that the situation is stabilized.

"The leadership of the ANC in Ekurhuleni wasted no time in attending to the situation, coordinating food parcels and blankets for the affected families.

"It is unfortunate that the first point action for the desperate DA was to issue a media statement instead of coming to the aid of the community," ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said.