It has been 245-days since 12 January 2022, when I stood here on behalf of the duly elected Johannesburg Multi-Party Government and for the 6-million residents of the City, across its eight Regions, where I outlined the ‘Golden Start for Service Delivery in Johannesburg’.
Where we committed to ushering in a new era for service delivery for the short, medium, and long-term.
That day was preceded by a momentous announcement, on 13 December 2022, of the 10 Members of the Mayoral Committee, who come from a diversity of political parties and localities across the length and breadth of Johannesburg.
Some of us were born in this beautiful but broken City. Some of came here from different parts of the country in search of our piece of gold, and never left.
Our stories might be different, but our different paths have led us to the forming a strong, united, and agile Multi-Party Government in the country’s economic capital.
Has it been easy – no? But notwithstanding our differences we all agree on the changes that are needed to repair and rebuild this City of great potential. And this mission we are on comes at a critical time for our City and residents.
The Multi-Party Government’s service delivery programme for repairing and rebuilding the City finds expression in the 7 Mayoral Priorities, which have been embedded in in the Integrated Development Plan, the Service Delivery Budget an Implementation Plan (SDBIP), and the Business Plans of Departments, the 13 Municipal Entitles, and our 2022/23 R77, 3-billion Budget, which has already begun to make Joburg feel and look better, since it came into effect on 1 July 2022.
Our 7 Mayoral Priorities are:
1. A City that gets the basics right
2. A safe and secure City
3. A caring City
4. A business-friendly City
5. An inclusive City
6. A well-run City
7. A smart City
As a C40 Cities member and Vice Chair, there is a green thread that runs through all these priorities. Our agenda for achieving a low to net-zero carbon footprint for all new buildings in the City by 2030, while achieving a total net-zero performance compliance standard by 2050 is outlined in the Joburg Climate Action Plan.
Residents of Joburg
During the Mayoral Golden Start address, 8-months ago, we outlined 38 key interventions for the remainder of the financial year which ended on 30 June 2022.
You must understand that stepping into a government mid-financial year when programmes are ongoing, and budgets have been allocated is a difficult but surmountable hurdle in wanting to immediately execute your programmes.
With an Adjustment Budget coming in February 2023, we had to work smart by identifying what was working and what was not, and adjust the budget accordingly, in line with the small wiggle room that legislation allows us.
Some of the changes were also not budgetary. We had and still have the task of changing the culture in the City’s public service; we needed to identify where the human resource strengths and gaps existed; and quickly close the taps of corruption by investigating, charging, and prosecuting cases of corruption; equally acting on reports that have sat unsigned or in limbo.
MMCs,
Of the 38 interventions we set on achieving by the end of the financial year, we achieved 66% (or 25) of them; we partially achieved 9 of them; and 4 were implemented but did not get over the line.
These 38 were our initial interventions but along the way we managed to complete and advance projects we had not initially set our sights on.
The Golden Report outlines, in full detail, what these programmes and projects entailed but I will touch on some of them, as have the MMCs.
Esteemed residents of Joburg,
Interventions Achieved:
An intervention that was necessary was for us to begin the work of refurbishing and upgrading of our key infrastructure. So that as we restart our economy, sustain economic growth we seek to continuously boost economic activity in the city of Golden opportunities.
Standing here today, the country has experienced 63-days of rolling blackouts this year alone, and we can anticipate that it will only get worse. It is why I worked closely with the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Service, Cllr Michael Sun, and the City Power leadership under Ms. Tshifularo Mashava to convene a two-day Joburg Energy Indaba that has set in motion the process of procuring an additional 500-megawatt of energy mix, will enable us to avert rolling blackouts up to stage 5.
There has been great interest the outcomes of the Energy Indaba from both local and international investors and innovators. Our Requests for Proposal (RFPs) are currently with the National Treasury for approval.
We have already begun setting in motion the foundation for this initiative to succeed when we allocated the largest portion of the Capital Budget to City Power – R1, 2-billion of R7, 7-billion. This will enable us to refurbish, upgrade and secure our distribution network to reduce power outages, and strengthen it for the onboarding of Independent Power Producers (IPPs). This aligns with getting the basics right and building a business-friendly City.
To illustrate the inherited infrastructure challenges which we are determined to overcome: The City is burdened with a R300-billion infrastructure backlog but only has a capital budget provision of only R7, 7-billion, the same amount that Eskom spent on diesel in the first six-months of this year.
We are nonetheless working around the clock to meet the target of getting IPPs online in the City. This will ensure that Joburgers and economy can be guaranteed reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity supply.
A key driver behind building a well-run, inclusive, and business-friendly City is the Department of Transport, under the leadership of Cllr Funzi Ngobeni.
As it stands, not everyone stays close to economic and personal opportunities, but this matters less when public transport is affordable and works well, and is well integrated.
The 105 newly refurbished buses will enhance daily bus availability as the demand for public transport increases, due to the ever-increasing petrol price.
It is worth mentioning that we had set the target of refurbishing 100 buses, but we exceeded this target by refurbishing 105 buses at a cost of approximately R50-million (R49,873,315).
This is a huge boost for the second largest bus operator in South Africa, which employs 890 people, operating a fleet of 420 buses, which includes two luxury buses and 6 special needs buses with hydraulic wheelchair lifts.
Through partnerships with the private sector and accelerated service delivery programmes, we have begun reducing economic damage caused by potholes and the occurrence of them by directing necessary skills and capital to the repair, maintenance and upgrading of roads infrastructure.
We all dream of a safer City, it is why MMC David Tembe has been working closely with the SAPS, Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) and the Office of the Executive Mayor to move forward with the Joburg City Safety Strategy (JCSS).
The City administration has approved a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be tabled before council. This reaffirms the city’s drive to provide for a safe and secure space for citizens, business and all who visit the City. The partnership with the SAPS will also ensure that we most effectively use the security assets of city but also leverage relationships with other law enforcement agencies.
We are also working closely with the SAPS is in the space of reducing cable theft. When this administration sounded the alarm and called on SAPS to bolster our efforts, they were quick to respond to our call. We have thus seen a gradual decrease in the number of cable theft and vandalism to critical infrastructure.
The programme is bearing positive results as 193 suspects were arrested in 2021/2022 financial year compared to 75 in 2020/2021 financial year which translates to a 157% Increase. Furthermore, 41 suspects were arrested in July 2022 compared to 24 in July 2021, translating to a 71% increase. Nine convictions have been effected to date with a collective 82 years of direct imprisonment.
Residents of Joburg, as of 1 July 2022, the Department of Housing was renamed the Department of Human Settlements, in order align its work with the Provincial and National spheres of Government.
MMC for Human Settlements, Cllr Mlungisi Mabaso, has been hard at work to reduce the City’s close to 500,000 housing demand backlog, through various initiatives, including the 10 informal settlements identified for the Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme (UISP).
Two standout projects who have begun working on are the Zandspruit serviced sites, Over 700 sites were launched, giving 1 178 families an opportunity to build their homes in the Zandspruit area. The upgraded stands will be provided with water, accessible roads, stormwater network as well as fencing off the township along the demarcated boundary.
I am most excited about the implosion of the Kaserne Building in the CBD. Not only does is it a project to address the housing backlog but it is also an investment in our Inner-City Rejuvenation Programme that will see 1,500 low-cost housing units close to social and economic amenities. Equally we have launched housing projects in Fleurhof (1580 units), South Hills (392 units), and Riverside View (752 units).
Ladies and gentlemen,
When we talk about rebuilding Johannesburg, we are in most instances speaking about ensuring that the Department of Development Planning, under the leadership of Cllr Belinda Echeozonjoku, is able to approve buildings efficiently and rapidly.
On 10 January 2022 the online Construction Permit Management System (CPMS) went live, which the enables architects and developers to submit building applications and plans online. This has accelerated the permitting processes, improved building plan examination and compliance, and ultimately prevents corruption and collusion in the construction sector.
Cllr Julie Suddaby, the MMC for Finance, has the important task of ensuring that, inter alia, we spend the residents’’ money correctly, and also collect monies owed to the City so that we can advance service delivery programmes.
In February, the Multi-Party Government re-launched its integrated bylaw enforcement and revenue enhancement campaign, Operation Buya Mthetho, which targeted delinquent ratepayers. This resulted in the City achieving its target of collecting up to R4-billion per months. In some months we exceeded this target.
Equally the Department has worked closely with the Office of the Executive Mayor to finalise the review of Terms of Reference (TOR) for GFIS. This is almost due for approval from Council. This, alongside the reconstitution of the Disciplinary Board as the Financial Misconduct Board, will strengthen our fight against corruption.
In the Economic Development space, under Cllr Nkuli Mbundu, in April the Council passed the Informal Trading Policy, and work is being done across departments, to finalise its rollout. This recognizes informal traders as a critical role player in the economy of the City.
Residents of Joburg,
The Department of Health and Social Development, led by Cllr Ashley Sauls I, has ensured that the Davidsonville Community Based Substance Abuse Program is fully operational, ensuring that residents receive the necessary assistance when dealing with debilitating effects of addiction and substance abuse.
Furthermore, 65 health facilities provide Covid-19 vaccinations. The Health Department managed to phase out 27 non-medical sites and activated the vaccination programme within the facilities irrespective of infrastructural challenges. All the City’s 78 facilities and 1 satellite facility provide Covid-19 testing and screening.
On the Social Development side, I was also proud to join MMC Suals I, as we broke ground at what will be the brand new, gold standard Bertrams Multipurpose Centre, which will bring City services and programmes closer to residents in the Inner City and surrounds.
MMC Leah Knott, who leads the operations of the Executive and City, through the Department of Group Corporate and Shared Services, has been hard at work to ensure that we brought all staff back to work so that the City could operate and deliver at full capacity. Not only that but a Hybrid Working Policy was introduced to ensure that we are able to attract the best possible talent, while keeping up with global best practice.
Cllr Knott’s Department was also integral in rooting irregularly employed fixed-term staff whose contracts were illegally converted to permanent. This intervention saved the City close to R100-million per annum, which will be directed towards service delivery.
Equally the Department worked tremendously hard to fill vacancies of senior managers, and recruit and fill the boards of all entities in record time, with women and men of integrity.
Equally, we are working towards finalizing the appointment of a City Manager by the end of September. It is critical that the City has competent and permanent chief administrator.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The MMC for Community Development, Cllr Ronald Harris, instituted the 7/11 boots on the ground programme, where several days of the week, senior managers are out of the office and on the ground to ensure these public spaces and facilities are useable. Senior managers cannot simply rely on reports to make an assessment of the needs of communities.
The green canopy of the City is iconic, and therefore, I am proud to announce that the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo was able to exceed its target of planting 10,000 trees across the City.
Residents of Joburg,
Earlier in the year we re-launched the Mayoral A Re Sebetseng integrated service delivery region-by-region campaign, which has been to Regions B, F and G. This Friday, we will be in Region C. This Mayoral campaign, which sees the City entire City and MMCs on the ground takes place every 30 to 60 days. This is part of our efforts to work with and for communities.
We have also created strong bonds with the private sector, especially towards the work of reviving the CBD through the Inner-City Partnership Forum, which will enable the private sector and the City to work towards a common goal in reeving the Inner City as the work, live, play and pray hub of Joburg.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I could go on for days outlining the work done by this Multi-Party Government over the last 8-months to restore hope and dignity in the lives of residents, but what was said today gives you an idea of the task we have ahead of us until 2026, and the mountains we have climbed in such a short space of time.
The full Golden Report will be available at Joburg.org.za and QR a code will be available on social media.
Indeed, we still have so much work to do but Joburg is starting to look feel better.
Ke a leboga. Thank you. Baie Dankie, and God Bless.
14/09/2022
