The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Sandton notes the last-minute oversight visits by members of the Johannesburg Executive to Wards 91, 103 and 106 in Sandton, today.
Note to Editors: Please find and English soundbite by Leah Potgieter MP here
We call on the Mayor to urgently prioritise the water crisis, which has left many homes and businesses without supply for extended periods. Joburg Water has yet to provide a meaningful response, despite repeated correspondence from DA Councillors and members of parliament. The mayor must also release a transparent, priority-based maintenance schedule from all entities that gives equal attention to all areas, not just those on the G20 route.
While we welcome any initiative that brings service delivery to our community, it is clear that this visit is nothing more than a photo opportunity ahead of the G20, while residents continue to endure the ongoing water crisis and other service failures.
Several critical areas were excluded, with officials indicating they could not focus on sites where service delivery had failed and they had no solutions because it “wouldn’t look good.”
This comes after the Mayor was publicly reprimanded by President Ramaphosa over the state of Johannesburg ahead of the G20. These factors confirm that the visit is about staging optics for international media rather than addressing residents’ lived reality.
For years, the DA has explained to the ANC why issues of crumbling water infrastructure, prolonged outages, potholes and broken traffic lights should be addressed. Now that the ANC finds itself under a global spotlight they want to act. Sandton residents deserve reliable, consistent services every day, not only when the world is watching.
The DA will continue to hold the ANC accountable and ensure that Sandton residents’ voices are heard, not just when the cameras are rolling, but every single day.