As G20 signs go up and service delivery appears to be kicking into gear, the mayor has been criticised for putting on a front while the city crumbles under his leadership.
City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero has denied that his government has only started cleaning up the city because of the G20 Leaders’ Summit later this month.
Metro police blitzes across the inner city and clean-up operations on major routes have been ramped up in the lead-up to the global event on 22 and 23 November.
As G20 signs go up and service delivery appears to be kicking into gear, the mayor has been criticised for putting on a front while the city crumbles under his leadership.
G20 and beyond
Speaking in an interview with Tumi Sole on social media on Sunday, Morero said while the summit was important, the bigger mission is to make “Johannesburg great again”.
“It’s not about the G20 [Leaders’ Summit], but the G20 [Leaders’ Summit] is also an important event. This G20 [Leaders’ Summit] is the first to be hosted on African soil, and it was important that, whatever we do in Johannesburg, we prepare accordingly.
“It cannot be that we just fold our arms and not address the basics, which is addressing traffic signals, which need to be working in any case, and showing that the freeways are working properly.
“It is important to create an environment that we will be proud of and that says we are changing course and we’re making Johannesburg great again.”
He said service delivery will continue after the summit ends, including fixing the CBD and addressing the city’s water crisis.
“We’ll go beyond the summit with programs already implemented and scheduled for December and January. Our pipe replacement Programme goes beyond the G20. What you are doing currently in the inner city of Johannesburg will go beyond the G20. So, we are focused.”
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Water marches
His comments came hours after he received a memorandum of complaint from civil society groups about the city’s water struggles.
“My door has always been open for civil societies. But let me be clear: we are actively addressing the water challenges our city faces through the Johannesburg Water Turnaround Plan, which is already being implemented.
“This plan focuses on overhauling water infrastructure, reducing losses, and delivering a more reliable, sustainable water supply for all residents,” he told residents amid the protests in the city centre.
Informal settlements ‘mushrooming’
Another major issue raised by residents was the construction of informal structures and settlements on vacant land in the city.
Morero acknowledged that informal settlements are “mushrooming on a daily basis” but said that the city had strengthened its bylaws team to dismantle such structures and settlements within 72 hours. Beyond three days, the City is required to provide alternative accommodation.
He said these settlements degrade communities.
“There are places where they can’t even open their windows because of the smell coming from these informal settlements, where there is no toilet. We have to deal with it and I think we are starting to make progress”.