Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured residents of Johannesburg that the government is committed to urgently addressing the city’s service delivery challenges. The President made these remarks during a stakeholder engagement at the Johannesburg City Council Chamber, emphasizing the urgent need for improvements in the city’s infrastructure and services.
According to South African Government News Agency, President Ramaphosa highlighted the concerns shared by Johannesburg residents regarding the deterioration of services and infrastructure. Over the past two days, the National Executive has engaged with Gauteng’s leadership and the City of Johannesburg to discuss these challenges and the efforts needed to address them. The President stressed the importance of cooperation among the three spheres of government to tackle these pressing issues.
Specific challenges mentioned by the President include deteriorating road infrastructure, closure of public facilities like the Johannesburg Library, and unfinish
ed infrastructure projects. He noted that the Department of Cooperative Governance, National Treasury, and the Provincial Government are working to stabilize Johannesburg’s governance and financial affairs, aiming to resolve service delivery backlogs and infrastructure delays.
The President also announced the formation of the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group, which will include stakeholders beyond the government. This approach mirrors the successful model applied in KwaZulu-Natal, where the eThekwini Presidential Working Group was established to revitalize Durban. The learnings from eThekwini have reinforced the confidence in this model to address Johannesburg’s challenges.
The working group will focus first on governance and financial sustainability, aiming to improve internal governance and financial management. Subsequent focuses will include water and sanitation, electricity, and public spaces. Efforts will be directed at stabilizing critical infrastructure, enhancing waste collection, and beauti
fying the city through improvements to road infrastructure, street lighting, and traffic lights.
In addition to infrastructure, the working group will prioritize law enforcement, urban security, housing delivery, and an inner-city rejuvenation project. The President emphasized the importance of setting a clear timeframe for achieving these goals and the need for regular reporting to ministers and himself. He highlighted that this is not a time for business as usual, but a crisis that demands urgent attention and accountability.
President Ramaphosa called on all stakeholders to collaborate with the government to restore Johannesburg to its former glory. He emphasized the need for broader stakeholder involvement in the working group to ensure collective accountability and accelerate the efforts. In the coming weeks, the President’s team will engage with business, labor, civil society, and academia to define their roles in the working group.
The President concluded by expressing confidence in Johannesburg’s r
esilience, innovation, and hope, urging all parties to move forward with determination, unity, and a shared commitment to leaving no one behind.