The ANC has blamed the DA for the decline of Johannesburg’s finances and service delivery, arguing that the city’s problems began when the party took control of the metro in 2016.
ANC local government intervention task team chairperson Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said Johannesburg was in a stronger financial position before the DA-led administration took over.
She claimed the city had “huge reserves” when former ANC mayor Parks Tau was in office.
ANC says Joburg declined after 2016
Ndabeni-Abrahams argued that Johannesburg’s decline accelerated after the DA took control while working with the EFF.
However, she acknowledged that the ANC had also learnt lessons from its own performance in municipalities since the 2021 local government elections.
She said the party had identified weaknesses in municipal governance and introduced 13 reforms through the local government White Paper.
According to Ndabeni-Abrahams, some problems facing municipalities cannot be solved by local governments alone.
She also pointed to political instability and infighting as major obstacles to service delivery.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said disagreements within parties or between coalition partners can weaken oversight and distract municipalities from delivering services to residents.
ANC wants another chance to govern
The ANC believes its experience in government puts it in a position to address Johannesburg’s challenges.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said municipalities have also struggled with funding constraints and called for a review of municipal funding policies.
She argued that the ANC’s years in government had given the party lessons it could use to improve how municipalities are run.
ActionSA defends Mashaba’s Joburg record
ActionSA has pushed back against the ANC’s claims, defending former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s performance after he took office under a DA-led administration in 2016.
The party said investment into Johannesburg increased from R4.5 billion in the 2016/17 financial year to R17.3 billion in 2018/19.
ActionSA also pointed to the Inner-City Rejuvenation Project, which it said unlocked R32 billion in private-sector investment.
The project was expected to create 22,000 construction jobs and deliver 14,000 affordable housing units.
The competing claims place Johannesburg’s deteriorating services and governance firmly at the centre of the political battle over who is best equipped to run South Africa’s largest metro.
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