Statement by: Matthew Cook, GOOD Johannesburg
Makhubo’s Johannesburg State of Regurgitation
5 May 2021
Mayor Geoff Makhubo failed to articulate the vision and means to address the City of Johannesburg’s inexorable decline in his State of the City Address. Instead he recycled a slew of empty old promises.
His SoCA lacked substance, accountability and vision. Instead the citizens of Joburg were offered a scrambled and recycled version of past addresses by his predecessors.
Instead of taking the opportunity to reassure hard-pressed residents, he repeatedly blamed them and COVID-19 for his administrations shortcomings.
Early in Makhubo’s address he drew attention to yesterday being World Firefighters Day, but he failed to address the fire engine crisis which was first highlighted when the Bank of Lisbon building fire claimed the lives of 3 firefighters in 2018. The ANC’s inaction and DA’s corrupt tender meddling has not fixed the life threatening risks facing residents and our firefighters.
The Mayor highlighted water challenges across the city, but offered no solutions.
He raised electricity issues, but blamed residents for illegal connections instead of offering lasting solutions to billing disputes, service shortfalls and aging infrastructure at City Power.
While Makhubo was honest in stating that the condition of the roads in Johannesburg is ‘most worrisome’, his solution was the recent partnership between the JRA and the Private Sector.
While we welcome these Public-Private Partnerships, they will only benefit the middle-class suburbs where those investors have interest. Where is the government’s commitment to serve its most vulnerable citizens?
Likewise, the promise of Park Rangers to public parks is welcomed but what about the open parks and municipal recreation centres which are not maintained, being used as dumping sites and lying derelict and dysfunctional in poorer communities?
The Mayor takes great pride in mentioning his campaign to rename William Nicol Drive but fails to mention when the section of this road between Steyn City and Riverside View will be made operational.
When will the households in the Diepsloot district have access to Fourways and Sandton?
Currently the road remains unusable for most vehicles, limiting access for lower income households. This is not something that Winnie Madikizela would have celebrated.
Instead of providing a clear blueprint to charter progress and prosperity for the residents of Johannesburg, Mr Makhubo’s SoCA raised more questions than it provided a vision and solutions for the future of the city.
Joburg is our country’s economic powerhouse. The people who live here need it to work and the people in the rest of South Africa need it to work.
Mayor Makhubo’s SoCA failed to demonstrate that anything has changed despite the city being government shunted from DA-led to ANC-led.
The old parties have run out of ideas and steam.
GOOD is committed to ensuring a more equitable Joburg where things works, and those in leadership are held accountable for their failures.
Ends.