JoburgCAN unimpressed by city’s citizen annual report
Julia Fish says holding people who manage the city accountable is a critical function of civil society as carried out by JoburgCAN in their written response to the report.
Johannesburg’s top two, the executive mayor and city manager, have expressed their views on the improvement of and dedication to service delivery in the City of Johannesburg’s Annual Report, the Citizens Version for the 2022 / 2023 financial year.
Melville resident and manager of Outa’s JoburgCAN Julia Fish, however, is not impressed with the 42-page report.
JoburgCAN was established to help improve service delivery, participate in local government affairs and build community within the city.
“The 2022/2023 Integrated Development Plan, and the Approved 2022/23 Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan leave a lot to be desired.
“JoburgCAN is of the view that the current financial situation of the city is dire. The annual report reflects that the city is underperforming on most, if not all its strategic priorities, most concerningly on good governance; infrastructure development and financial sustainability.”
Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said, “This era ushered in a renaissance, steering Johannesburg towards a future defined by excellence, innovation, and inclusivity.
“Strategic delivery of services takes centre stage, driven by an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and sustainability. Recognising the diversity within our city, our strategic imperative is to ensure that essential services reach every resident while laying the foundation for a sustainable and resilient future. The report demonstrates key challenges and successes in the city.”
City manager Floyd Brink pronounced, “Despite several challenges ranging from political to administrative, the city has continued to provide services to residents and citizens throughout the year.”
Fish says, “According to the Customer Perception from Bi-annual Polling Surveys 2022/23 found in the annual report, 59% of residents feel that the city is heading in the wrong direction and 77% of respondents feel that there is a lack of service delivery.”
JoburgCAN has written a response to the report as permitted by Section 127(5) of the Municipal Finance Management Act which outlines their comments and responses to the document. “We hope our observations will be incorporated into the consolidated oversight report on the city’s 2022/2023 Annual Report.
“It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Active citizenry, co-governance and a strong stakeholder relations attitude could turn things around in Joburg, if the city visibly worked with residents to improve service delivery.”
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