‘National government has an obligation to intervene on behalf of communities where municipalities, through inefficiency or a lack of commitment to deliver and develop goals, fail to provide affordable services.’ – White paper on Local Government (1998).
Tracy Ledger, from the Public Affairs Research Institute, released a publication entitled A short report – Local Government Programme, which investigated the provision of basic municipal services.
Looking at ever-increasing municipal tariffs passed on to residents she says, “Many municipal officials are aware that numerous households cannot afford to pay their bills.
“If these rapidly increasing municipal accounts were matched by strong municipal finances, quality services and the maintenance of basic infrastructure, then a case could be made… but it is clear that – even while setting municipal tariffs at a rate that is impoverishing households and exacerbating food insecurity and child malnutrition – the financial state of municipalities is deteriorating. That is, neither side of the supposed win-win situation has been achieved. Instead, there is an increasing slide into a lose-lose quagmire.”
How the City of Joburg fares
Looking at the state of the City of Johannesburg, Ledger’s comments, made in September 2021, are distressingly more poignant now than they were at the time.
Relentless municipal tariff hikes, a carousel of eight mayors in five years, political in-fighting and goal scoring and working for the interests of individuals rather than the citizenry, may have left Johannesburg a cracked shell of its former self.
In this series, various entities tasked with running the city will be evaluated over the coming weeks, before a final analysis of the health of the city is released.
Several entities will be investigated and scored – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Importantly, they will also be asked to also score themselves and justify their reasoning – in their own words. They can deny, admit, pontificate or be honest about the challenges they face, as well as their successes.
It is hoped this series can be a frank and beneficial platform from which conversations about service delivery and the health of the city can be held by role-players in public or quiet meeting rooms to reverse and stall further rot and dysfunction.
Also read: How to report damage to the City Power Infrastructure
William Gumede, associate professor at the School of Governance at Wits University says, “When measuring the health of a city, there are a few basic indicators that are helpful.
“Infrastructure is perhaps the most important and in Johannesburg, it has declined to such an extent that very real problems are becoming not only more common but more complex to handle.”
He says the safety of residents in terms of the ‘liveability’ of a city is crucial, again, something Johannesburg falls dismally short on in his opinion. “This is not a world-class African city but is closer perhaps to becoming a failed African city due to the scandalous state of some areas.”
His input will be explored in upcoming editions, but he is not without hope. “If there was a serious commitment from local and national government to work honestly for the good of the people in collaboration with ward councillors, civil society, the private sector and communities, in five years the outlook for our much-loved City of Gold could be completely reversed.”
Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau speaks on the often unmanageable dissatisfaction residents experience as ‘this once vibrant city deteriorates’. “Frustrated residents often let their anger out on councillors about the constant failures. But who can blame them though as the real causes of the decline are hidden from them by the administration and its workings.”
With local government elections being just two years away – do the promises of improvements being made by the new mayor feel like politicking?
Dada Morero began his second tenure in the hot seat with the same dull energy he had while in the role of MMC for Finance.
In an uninspiring interview with the state broadcaster, the SABC, following his election, he laid out his plans.
“In the main, we want to focus on by-law enforcement – we think that by doing so we can address the bigger issues of lawlessness, illegal dumping and hijacked buildings. Those sorts of things we will do aggressively,” says Morero.
So in a nutshell as mayor, he perhaps unintentionally, blames much of the city’s failures at the feet of residents by wanting to focus on what they are doing wrong first.
Mark Heywood, human rights activist and writer says, “Chapter 7 of the Constitution lists the objectives of local government – it is those five points which I would measure the city against.
“The first is to provide a democratic and accountable government for local communities. Next is the provision of services in a sustainable manner, then social and economic development, a safe and healthy environment and finally to encourage the involvement of community organisations in the matters of local government.”
In each instance, he says the city is failing significantly.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Keshnie Mathi, founder of The Wellness Specialist discusses the impact of stress caused by living in an apparently failing city.
Keshnie Mathi, managing director of The Wellness Specialist speaks of the intolerable levels of stress people are living with every day. “For the last 18 months, there has been a significant rise of people coming into our rooms. People know they need to keep going to keep their jobs and feed their families, but their restlessness is significant. People are worried about the Government of National Unity, the NHI, and rising costs across the board including school fees to name a few issues. There is so much apprehension, anger and sadness.”
She says her clients all feel that because ‘everyone’ is going through a tough time, they do their best not to ‘burden others’ with their trials and tribulations. “This leads to them almost becoming numb to their emotions, but it does not mean their emotions are not impacting them in the background and causing other difficulties often, like excessive alcohol consumption, over or under-eating, over-exercising and such – it is not sustainable.”
City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane was asked for his opening gambit but did not respond to questions posed.
Next week the deep dive into the city’s ability to govern begins with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo in the spotlight first.
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