ActionSA has announced five candidates who will contest wards across Phoenix, with the party placing service delivery, community safety, accountability and greater engagement with residents at the centre of its campaign. The party introduced Alice Louise Govender for Ward 52, Dhanila Sewnarain for Ward 51, Claude Augustine Govender for Ward 50, Ridwaan Joseph for Ward 49 and Berlinda Belcher for Ward 48.
Under its “Fix Phoenix” campaign, ActionSA said its candidates were drawn from community activism, civic structures, school governance and other areas of public service, and had experience dealing with challenges faced by residents.
Ward 52 – Alice Louise Govender
Current PR councillor Alice Louise Govender has almost three decades of community activism behind her and has been involved in civic and ratepayers’ associations addressing service-delivery, social and economic challenges.
Govender, a certified pastoral counsellor and gender-based violence advocate, has also served on school governing bodies and has experience in estates administration and drafting wills. She identified accountable leadership, tackling crime and drugs, and youth empowerment among her priorities. She said her involvement in community matters had also included working alongside civic and ratepayers’ organisations to raise concerns surrounding housing developments and the infill housing scheme in Phoenix.
Ward 51 – Dhanila Sewnarain
Dhanila Sewnarain has been involved in community initiatives, including assisting an NPO with the packing and distribution of food hampers and helping residents during water supply challenges. She said her priority would be to work closely with Ward 51 residents to improve service delivery and address problems affecting the community.
“I want my community to be heard. I want to be a functional, hands-on leader. I believe we can achieve our goals together. Together, we can live in a safer and cleaner ward,” said Sewnarain.
She added that she was committed to “honest, transparent and accountable leadership”.
Ward 50 – Claude Augustine Govender
Claude Augustine Govender, an HPCSA-registered Emergency Care Practitioner, has focused much of his community involvement on welfare and upliftment. He has previously served as an executive member of the Phoenix Community Policing Forum (CPF) and as a chairperson and member of several school governing bodies in Phoenix.
Govender said fairness, honesty and integrity would guide his leadership and that he intended to remain actively involved in initiatives aimed at empowering and improving the lives of residents.
Ward 49 – Ridwaan Joseph
Ridwaan Joseph has experience in community safety, school governance, public engagement and service-delivery matters. Joseph was previously involved in the CPF and served as chairperson of Sector 3, working with residents and law-enforcement structures on community safety matters.
He also founded and managed a community social-media platform focusing on service delivery and community awareness, and coordinated communication between residents and relevant authorities. During the Covid-19 lockdown, he initiated a food-hamper programme aimed at assisting vulnerable residents.
Ward 48 – Berlinda Belcher
Berlinda Belcher was described by the party as a community activist who has worked with Phoenix residents on various challenges affecting their neighbourhoods. Her priorities include improved service delivery, community safety, support for children and families, and greater accountability and communication between residents and their elected representatives.
Belcher said she was committed to honest, transparent and accountable leadership and believed elected representatives should remain accessible and responsive to the communities they serve.
In announcing its candidates, ActionSA said it wanted to challenge what it described as years of dissatisfaction with service delivery and political leadership in Phoenix. The party claimed residents had raised concerns about access to councillors, poor communication and difficulties obtaining assistance with municipal and other community matters.
ActionSA said its five candidates had committed themselves to listening to residents and maintaining a hands-on approach should they be elected.
“We are asking for five years to prove ourselves. Five years to allow the community to engage, to criticise us, to knock on our doors and have the door opened,” the party said.
The party further said it had developed a 100-day plan which it intended to implement should its candidates receive an electoral mandate.
“Our contract with Phoenix is simple. We are here to fix the wrongs done to Phoenix. Together we can restore her to her former glory,” ActionSA said.
The party concluded that its campaign would focus on rebuilding residents’ confidence in local leadership and improving service delivery across the five Phoenix wards.
