Everson Luhanga
Dr Mpho Phalatse is a woman on a mission.
It was a mission inspired by her experience as a healthcare worker on the mean streets of Tembisa and Alexandra.
In an exclusive interview with Scrolla.Africa, Dr Phalatse said her experience in these communities, especially in Alexandra, made her go into politics.
“As a healthcare worker, I chose to work in the casualty section,” she said.
“I treated patients who were terribly assaulted and victimised by criminals.”
The last straw was when she treated five patients who had been shot at different crime scenes.
“The men were soaked in blood with bullet wounds and were seeking medical attention from the local Alexandra Masakhane clinic, where I worked.
“I couldn’t take that anymore.
“I cried and cried seeing people going through such terrible and traumatic experiences. I was left with two options: either to leave or do something about this,” she said.
She said a friend advised her to become a councillor where she could play a part in saving people’s lives at a community level. She took that advice and became a PR councillor for the Democratic Alliance. She has never looked back.
Two weeks ago she stunned the political scene when she became the first female mayor of South Africa’s biggest city.
But even before tackling the massive challenges that Joburg faces every day, she has to deal with the fact that the city has become the epicentre of the fourth wave of Covid that has hit the country.
She joined a raid on Friday with JMPD officers where she was shocked to see entertainment venues packed to capacity with no ventilation, screening or wearing of masks by many of the participants.
Phalatse echoed the DA’s view that they do not support mandatory vaccination – a posture that could soon bring her and her party into conflict with many public health experts and with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who indicated that he will move in that direction.
Phalatse said the DA is pushing an educational drive to make people aware of the importance of getting vaccinated. But they must choose for themselves and not be forced to get the jab.
“The city will make sure there are sites for residents to get their jabs easily.”
Phalatse spoke about Joburg’s huge crime problem and acknowledged that the South African police don’t have adequate capacity.
“My idea is to bring together the metro police and SAPS with private security to fight the scourge of crime in the city.”
She is targeting more than just violent crimes, and on the issue of electricity supply in the city, she said residents must pay for electricity.
She said there would be a special unit with the Johannesburg metro police department that will deal with all izinyokas who are costing the city and the country millions of rands through illegal connections.
She said the coalition talks with other parties were still ongoing and she hoped that a deal would be reached in the next few days.
The mother of three laughed off the question about her personal life, saying it was not at the top of her agenda.
“We need to fix the city first and make sure residents of the city are catered for. Until then, let’s not talk about relationships and marriages.”
