[1:14 pm, 26/03/2025] Samantha Jackson: GOOD Speech by Matthew Cook,
GOOD National Chairperson and City of Johannesburg Councillor
26 March 2025
*Note to Editors: This speech was delivered during the 29th Ordinary Council Meeting of the City of Johannesburg.
Speaker, the reports presented to council from the Economic Development Department not only highlight its gross underperformance but also reveal the deeper structural and leadership failures that should no longer be tolerated.
Speaker, the lack of a centralized database containing key economic indicators is an indictment on this administration’s capacity to make evidence-based decisions. In a city of Johannesburg’s size and complexity, operating without integrated, reliable data to guide economic policy is reckless. We are essentially trying to drive development blindfolded, and this incompetence undermines every initiative we claim to pursue.
Speaker, the report highlights a lack of funding for primary data collection to fill key economic gaps. How can we build credible, actionable economic policies without localized, up-to-date data?
Instead, we rely on outdated or borrowed reports, leaving our economic interventions detached from reality. This is a failure of strategic planning and resource prioritization, and it stalls both investor confidence and development progress.
Speaker, the department’s acknowledgment of an inadequate staff complement — with vacancies in critical areas such as statisticians, econometricians, data analysts, and two vacant Deputy Director posts — reflects a leadership crisis.
For a directorate charged with driving Johannesburg’s economic development, these vacancies are not minor oversights; they are fatal weaknesses. The prolonged failure to fill these key positions tells us that this administration is not serious about building the technical muscle needed to drive the city’s economic recovery and growth.
It is both alarming and unacceptable that this department still operates without an integrated, inclusive economic growth strategy.
This lack of vision leaves each initiative isolated, fragmented, and ultimately ineffective. We cannot claim to be building a sustainable, inclusive economy when there is no comprehensive blueprint guiding our efforts, aligning departments, and ensuring measurable impact across all sectors.
Speaker, these challenges are not just obstacles; they are symptoms of deeper neglect, poor leadership, and lack of urgency. Johannesburg’s residents deserve better than patchwork solutions and reactive governance.
Without decisive action to address these gaps, we are merely posturing with no real prospect of delivering growth or job creation.
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