They play politics. Joburg pays the price.
Johannesburg doesn't need a miracle. It needs YOU.
Last week, Ferial Haffajee wrote an article highlighting the crisis and mismanagement of Johannesburg. Once the beating heart of the continent's economy, Joburg is now on life support and time is running out.
Roads explode. Water stops flowing. Power vanishes without warning, separate from load shedding. And the people meant to fix it? They're too busy playing musical chairs in council chambers while the city crumbles outside the window.
In 2023, the Auditor-General found that Johannesburg lost a staggering R21.8-billion to waste, irregular deals and unauthorised spending. That's more than a quarter of the city's budget.
Gone.
Not into infrastructure. Not into safety. Not into dignity. Gone into the fog of politics, mismanagement and corruption.
And yet, silence.
No uproar. No accountability.
Because the one thing more absent than service delivery … is scrutiny.
Everything good that is happening in Joburg, as Ferial listed, is the result of the stellar work of civil society and residents who care.
The watchdogs are missing. Local journalism – the front line of accountability – has all but disappeared.
Over the past 15 years, the journalism industry has shrunk by an estimated 70%. The worst hit? Local newsrooms. The very ones we need most.
At the same time, service delivery failure has risen exponentially.
See the correlation?
We've got a plan. But we need your help.
Daily Maverick wants to launch a dedicated Johannesburg bureau, staffed with a team of 10 journalists on the ground focused solely on this metro. They will be committed to exposing the rot, spotlighting solutions and making sure no councillor, contractor or city official escapes the consequences of their failures.
Their stories will power a daily, free newsletter for residents, amplifying local issues on our national platform.
This newsletter will remain free for everyone because, with the local government elections around the corner, anyone who has the right to vote should have access to the truth.
Johannesburg doesn't need a miracle; it needs a microphone.
Daily Maverick has a proven track record of exposing State Capture, shaking up national policy and holding the powerful to account. Now we're taking that fight to Joburg's front yard – because it's past time.
Here's the deal:
Despite the public service we provide, we receive no public funding. We need the business community and the public, who understand that our standard of journalism translates into impact and accountability, to support us in this effort.
We need 2,800 of you, our readers who care about Joburg's future, to become Maverick Insider members. Your monthly or annual contributions will go directly to paying the salaries of the journalists at this bureau. If that happens, we'll be able to open the bureau in a month.
It's your choice how much you want to contribute (we suggest R200/month because it works out to about the cost of a cup of coffee a week…). Not a lot, but collectively it's enough.
If you're a business owner in Joburg and want to see the city thrive (and receive the kudos for being part of that), you can get in contact with us below.
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Daily Maverick
7 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
E-hailing drivers demand action over frozen licence approvals while impoundment fees soar
E-hailing drivers in Cape Town are considering legal action after the City froze licence approvals, leaving them vulnerable to having their vehicles impounded. E-hailing drivers are up in arms over the City of Cape Town freezing the approval of additional licences since the end of March, when the City claimed it had met its 'full allowed quota' of 3,354 licences. It had received more than 14,000 applications. The City and Western Cape Mobility Department, community and industry groups have been meeting to determine the next steps, with drivers complaining that they have to pay exorbitant impoundment fees for operating without licences. Looking forward, Councillor Rob Quintas, a member of the City's Mayoral Committee for Urban Mobility, told Daily Maverick: 'The revised supply and demand for metered taxi services, which includes e-hailing, has been determined. 'The City will be presenting the revised metered taxi supply and demand numbers at a Special Metered Taxi Intermodal Planning Sub-Committee meeting on 17 June 2025, and will make this information available to the public.' Western Cape Mobility Department spokesperson Muneera Allie said: 'Once approval is given (to the Permit Regulatory Entity by the City for additional applicants), and a quota is determined… applications will be handled on a first-come-first-served basis.' E-hailing drivers are required to have an operating licence or risk their cars being impounded by the City, due to an amendment to the National Land Transport Act signed in June 2024. If there is a continued shortage of operating licences, the Western Cape E-Hailing Association (WCEA) is considering taking the Western Cape Permit Regulatory Entity and City of Cape Town to court to call for a pause on impoundments until the permitting system is reformed. A court ruled in favor of e-hailing drivers in a similar case in Pretoria. There, drivers proved it was 'impossible' to obtain a permit due to City backlogs. The association also calls on the regulatory entity to stop taking applications and application fees before new permits open up. Quintas clarified: 'Legally, the regulatory entity cannot refuse to accept applications even if the upper limit of the City's supply and demand numbers have been saturated already. Therefore, the operators apply at their own risk.' The 'trauma' of impoundment Drivers in Cape Town have been feeling the impact of impoundments as the City stalls in approving new operating licences. The impoundment fees are high. One driver, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being blocked from driving, said: 'The fees were R7,500, R2,500, and R1,000 — totalling R11,000 in one go. The car is financed, and once it was impounded, I couldn't make the instalment, couldn't pay for the business insurance, and couldn't raise money to get the car released. It's a trauma I can never forget.' According to the City of Cape Town's website: 'The impoundment fee is for the initial storage, hooking, salvaging and administration costs for the vehicle's impoundment… The fee increases for first, second and third offences.' In addition, drivers must pay for any outstanding fines before receiving their vehicle. Immediately, drivers feel the impact of impoundment. A driver said: 'I was impounded at 8.45am, 15km away from home, with no money on me. I had to walk home through unsafe areas. The police don't care how you get back — they just take your car… Where is the dignity?' In the long term, these fees can be devastating. According to the Deputy Secretary-General of the Western Cape E-hailing Association, Yusuf Dahir, a driver who works for 12 hours a day (the maximum allowed for Uber) earns approximately R1,000/day or R7,000/week. An estimated 80 to 90% of drivers do not own their vehicles. In general, R2,000-R3,000 of their weekly income goes to rent or weekly commission for the vehicle and R2,000 goes to petrol, leaving drivers with about R2,000 to take home at the end of the week. With this reality, the R10,000 impoundment fee is enormous. Drivers recognise that operating without licences is unlawful. Another driver said, 'All we ask is for the City of Cape Town to allow us to apply for e-hailing permits — and approve them. We want to feed our families through honest work.' But drivers are frustrated at the inability to acquire the necessary legal permits, and increasingly feel that the City is using them as a cash cow to collect impoundment fees. At the same time, Uber, Bolt, and other e-hailing services continue to allow new drivers to join the platforms, further allowing the cycle to continue. 'Equitable balance' According to the Mobility Department's Allie, the number of permits allotted in the quota is determined to 'ensure an equitable balance between the demand and supply of metered taxi and e-hailing services'. While applications may be accepted, the regulatory entity has informed applicants that operating licences may only be issued once approval for additional applications is received. According to Maxine Bezuidenhout, the spokesperson for the City of Cape Town's Traffic Services, 42 e-hailing vehicles were impounded in April 2025, and 45 had been impounded by 30 May. Drivers can request reimbursement for the impoundment fees from Uber, but still have to pay the fee up front. Dahir says it often takes days, if not weeks, for Uber to pay out. 'It is likely they will not reimburse.' Dahir also shared concerns about how Uber gathers funds for the impoundment fees. Dahir claimed the money did not come out of pocket for Uber. Instead, according to the drivers, Uber deducted additional fees — beyond its commission — from the driver before their cars were impounded, and used that money to reimburse them for the impoundment fees. For example, according to the drivers, there were additional, 'ever-increasing' fees for accepting rides to, and pick-ups from, airports and unexplained additional deductions at the end of trips. In short, they claimed that Uber was not really paying for the impoundment fees, but rather taking it from the driver in advance through these fees. Uber 'aware of challenges' When asked directly about how the reimbursement process worked, an Uber South Africa spokesperson said in a statement: 'Uber would like to refute the claims made by the drivers. We unequivocally maintain that these claims are unfounded.' In addition, the spokesperson said: 'Uber is aware of the challenges drivers are facing in Cape Town and remains committed to supporting them while engaging relevant stakeholders. Our goal is to ensure a sustainable and inclusive approach to mobility that supports both economic opportunity and safe, reliable transport options in Cape Town.' In response to an inquiry from Daily Maverick that Uber seems to be supporting drivers operating without licences by offering to pay their impoundment fees, Quintas responded: 'Paying someone else's fine or impoundment fee is not necessarily the illegal act.' Further, Quintas appeared to defend Uber and Bolt's practice of onboarding and recruiting new drivers without the possibility of permits being granted. He said: 'E-hailing platform providers have over the years marketed their services to operators and drivers without making an operating licence a compulsory requirement to operate on their platforms. Thus, they onboard operators/drivers and allow them to operate without having a valid operating licence… It seems to be a universal practice by all e-hailing platforms to onboard operators without operating licences.'
Daily Maverick
7 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Mthatha campus erupts as students rally against bail for accused in deadly protest shooting
'(Manelisi) Mampane should have stayed in jail for the rest of his life because the child that he killed will not come back,' said a student. Students at Walter Sisulu University and their parents are protesting at the university's Mthatha campus against the release of residence manager Manelisi Mampane (54), who is accused of shooting dead Sisonke Mbolekwa (24) and injuring two students during a protest in April over housing conditions. Mampane was arrested on 17 April 2025 in Mthatha. He has been charged with murder and attempted murder, and was released on bail of R10,000 at Mthatha Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 3 June 2025. This has led to anger and frustration for students and their parents. According to the students, Mampane should have stayed in prison, and bail should not have been granted. 'Mampane should have stayed in jail for the rest of his life because the child that he killed will not come back,' said a student at the protest who wished to remain anonymous. Ayabonga Ndzumo, the mother of Lizwa Ndzumo, one of the two students who were shot and injured, told Daily Maverick that she had also joined the protest, and that the police were shooting teargas at them. The spokesperson for the Mbolekwa family, Ncedo Kolanisi, who spoke with Newzroom Afrika on Tuesday, said: 'We are shocked; we saw signs of the magistrate being biased. My suspicions are certain fans of the accused have got to him… He ignored that Lizwa cannot move freely as a student of Walter Sisulu..,' said Kolanisi. Another student at the university, Oneltiha Mbonana, told Daily Maverick that Mampane should not have received bail. '…Now students decided to protest and close the school; they got arrested or died. This is a court matter and students choose to close the N2,' said Mbonana. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has deployed police to the institution, and three students have been arrested, and they will be facing charges of public violence, damage to infrastructure and damage to property. 'The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Eastern Cape, Major-General Thandiswa Kupiso, stated: 'We appeal for calm as we patiently allow legal processes to unfold. We encourage those who are aggrieved to channel grievances through lawful avenues.' Major-General Kupiso appealed to the students to honor the victim's memory through constructive, non-violent means, ' read an SAPS media statement released on Wednesday morning. According to SAPS Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana the murder investigation remained active, had been prioritised, and was ongoing. The SAPS said it would continue to collaborate closely with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to pursue justice through legal channels. The protest is ongoing. Daily Maverick reached out to Walter Sisulu University for comment, and we will update the article once this is received or more information is available. DM
The Citizen
11 hours ago
- The Citizen
Deadly air pollution threatens lives
A new report from Greenpeace Africa and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), released on June 3, has sent shockwaves across South Africa, revealing a devastating public health crisis linked to air pollution. In 2023 alone, 42 000 South Africans lost their lives due to fine particle pollution (PM2.5), with more than 1 300 of those deaths being children under the age of five. PM 2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles in the air with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. These particles can be inhaled and cause serious health problems. They are a common air pollutant found in various sources like car exhausts, coal-fired power stations, and industrial emissions. How small is 2.5 micrometres? Think about a single hair from your head. The average human hair is about 70 micrometres in diameter, making it 30 times larger than the largest fine particle. The report, titled Unmasking the Toll of Fine Particle Pollution in South Africa, paints a grim picture of the state of air quality in the country, with Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and the Highveld Priority Area bearing the brunt of the pollution's lethal impact. In Gauteng, over 16 000 deaths were attributed to the effects of PM2.5 pollution in 2023 alone. The province is home to some of the largest coal-fired power plants and industrial zones in the country, making it a hotspot for pollution. The findings underscore a growing concern that South African communities are living in an environment where the air they breathe is contributing directly to their deaths. The culprits behind this crisis are well-known: large industrial giants in the coal and energy sectors, particularly Eskom, which operates one of the world's largest fleets of coal-powered plants. The report shows in total, Eskom emits more sulfur dioxide (SO2). It is a gaseous air pollutant composed of sulfur and oxygen that forms when sulfur-containing fuel such as coal, petroleum oil or diesel is burned in the entire power sectors of the European Union, the USA or China. 'Ironically, while South Africa's Constitution guarantees the right to a healthy environment, this right is being trampled every day,' said Ibrahima Ka Ndoye, international communications co-ordinator at Greenpeace Africa. 'The corporations responsible for the majority of pollution are prioritising profits over people, and this is an unacceptable tragedy.' The report estimates that exposure to PM2.5 in South Africa costs the country R960-billion in 2023. This figure accounts for premature deaths, respiratory illnesses, lost workplace productivity, and strained healthcare systems. The pollution's toll on human life is deeply entrenched, as evidenced by the communities in the Highveld region, which have long been at the epicentre of South Africa's coal industry. The report specifies that in Gauteng cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria, industrial activity is a major contributor to the region's poor air quality. A total of 35% of the PM2.5 pollution in Johannesburg can be traced to power plants and other industries, according to the Clean Air Fund's report. The report also singles Pretoria out as a city grappling with fine particle pollution, of which a third can be attributed to mining activities. 'We have to ask ourselves: How many more lives must be lost before action is taken?' said Cynthia Moyo, Climate and Energy campaigner at Greenpeace Africa. 'The science is clear: the air in South Africa is toxic. But it's not just about environmental health. It's about social justice. The people most affected by this pollution are often those who are already facing economic hardships.' Despite mounting evidence and numerous calls for action, Eskom, the state-owned utility responsible for a substantial portion of South Africa's electricity generation, continues to fall short on pollution controls. Eskom has repeatedly sought exemptions from environmental regulations, citing the cost of upgrading emissions-control technology and delaying plant decommissioning. The report highlights that aligning South Africa's air quality standards with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines could prevent up to 33 000 deaths annually. 'The time to act is now. We cannot continue to allow polluters to profit at the expense of human lives,' said Moyo. 'Communities across South Africa deserve clean air, healthy environments, and a future free from the dangers of toxic pollution.' The situation has reached a breaking point, and Greenpeace Africa is calling for bold, immediate action. Ka Ndoye said the organisation's key recommendations include an immediate end to exemptions from air pollution limits for major emitters such as Eskom, enforcement of national air quality standards to ensure public health is protected, and a just transition away from coal to renewable energy. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
