Ramaphosa spared true horrors on Mamelodi visit

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Kingsley Hostel in Mamelodi, northeast of Pretoria, on Monday for the party’s final push ahead of next week’s local government elections.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa was spared the worst of the deprivation in Mamelodi, Tshwane, on Monday, with residents complaining that his Gauteng ANC colleagues had guided him away from the appalling living conditions in and around the Kingsley Hostel.

While Ramaphosa visited a wooden shack near the entrance to the hostel, around the back of the building, pools of sewage water from blocked pipes and toilets full of faeces gave off an unbearable stench, made worse by the heat.

Residents said they had wanted to show Ramaphosa where they were living but were prevented from doing so.

Mamelodi residents at and around the Kingsley Hostel said they have been struggling with water and electricity for weeks.

In his response to the water complaints, Ramaphosa assured them that the government has set aside a budget to address the effects of El Niño.

Ramaphosa said he is confident that election victory belongs to the ANC.