The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg’s assessment of the work done by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) executive this year, has come to the conclusion that they are failing on all fronts.
Following an in depth look into the various portfolios and departments, judging the various departments on what they should achieve, what they said they would achieve, and what they did achieve, we believe that Johannesburg’s executive has failed in its mandate.
| Department | Grade | Comment |
| Executive Mayor
Cllr Dada Morero |
F | With more than 100 days in office, and nothing to show for it, the mayor has kept one promise – that we should not expect much from his tenure. Cadres are being deployed, and it would seem that the city’s entities are in fact being run by the ANC’s Johannesburg Region. Infrastructure backlogs have ballooned alongside the city’s salary bill. MMCs have become the law unto themselves, completing service delivery queries based on party affiliation. The mayor has no control over his MMCs, nor over the city he purports to run. |
| Community Development
Cllr Tebogo Nkokou |
F | An instable department, alongside a lack of direction or political will is now the order of the day. The department of Community Development, meant to work towards social cohesion, is under the leadership of a person who seeks to racially divide residents, with a history of inflammatory remarks under his belt. The department is no longer credible, and we have serious questions about the ethics and governance controls in place here. |
| Development Planning
Cllr Eunice Mgcina |
F | This department does not communicate, stakeholders are kept at arm’s length with almost no transparency coming from the department. Regulatory failures are a penny a pound as illegal construction sites mushroom across the city, alongside their illegal advertisements. It is no wonder investor and developer confidence in the city is at an all-time low. |
| Economic Development
Cllr Nomoya Mnisi
|
F | There is no real plan to tackle hijacked buildings, flagship projects remain uncompleted, a failure to secure city assets, and the void of strategic direction sitting in the office of the MMC means that this crucial department is effectively non-operational. |
| Environment and Infrastructure Services
Cllr Jack Sekwaila |
F | We are facing the worst water crisis in history. Some residents spend up to 6 weeks without water. Pikitup, the waste management entity in the city’s fleet has collapsed, and has to contract this service out.
City Power is R22 billion into its overdraft, and some contractors have not been paid for over two years. Two national government ministers, in this field, had to swoop in on Johannesburg in the past weeks to try rescue things. Eskom threatened to cut off the city’s power, due to non-payment. Cllr Sekwaila is a failure. |
| Finance
Cllr Margaret Arnolds |
F | Beyond poor planning, this MMC’s response rate is alarming to say the least. The MMC fails to attend oversight committee meetings, financial reports and statements aren’t submitted, which hamstrings council’s ability to conduct proper and effective oversight. We are unable to say exactly what she has been up to, as she does not communicate from her portfolio. Oversight and values of good governance have all but eroded. |
| Group Corporate Shared Services
Cllr Loyiso Masuku
|
E | Senior management positions sit empty in this department, leaving the city without direction. At least 90% of managers and directors aren’t qualified for their positions, and the non-compliance with the OHS Act leaves the department open to litigation. The fire department is left without fire engines, and fire fighters are sitting at fire stations, unable to do their jobs. |
| Health and Social Development
Cllr Ennie Makhafola
|
E | Health facilities are uninhabitable due to underspending from the capital expenditure budget. Many clinics are disaster sites, due to the MMC’s inability to do her work. Reports aren’t submitted, and political oversight is close to naught as when reports are submitted, officials do so very late if ever. |
| Public Safety
Cllr Mgcini Tshwaku
|
F | The head of department position has been empty for over two years, and there has not been a chief of police in the city for more than four years. Corruption cases against officials in the city, especially those in JMPD remain unresolved. The CBD is crime ridden, and by-law enforcement does not take place. The city is decaying, and it should be no surprise that our police station precincts prominently feature in the top 30 most crime ridden spots in the country. |
| Transport
Cllr Kenny Kunene |
F | Pio-trans, the city’s transport entity, has been placed under business rescue. Multi-million-rand projects, like the Alexandra Depot is illegally occupied, and unfinished. The Lillian Ngoyi Street contractor was paid R20 million – and we have nothing to show for it. Transferring the Metropolitan Trading Company to the Transport portfolio was an ill-advised decision, as this entity is now also filled with cadres. |