Joburg Crisis Alliance questions ‘quick wins' focus of presidential working group

Mail & Guardian

12-05-2025

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero. (Lubabalo Lesolle/Gallo Images)
Civil society actors have voiced growing scepticism about the Johannesburg presidential working group's focus on 'quick wins', warning that the city's long-term recovery is being sacrificed for short-term political optics ahead of the G20 summit in November.
Speaking at the sixth summit of the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) on Saturday, Yunus Chamda, the organisation's programme coordinator, said
'It's proven to be a useful platform for partnerships, especially with the business community,' said Chamda, adding 'City officials dominate and do not consider the views of everyone in the meetings.'
Chamda described the committee as trapped in a 'quick wins conundrum', noting that although the focus on immediate interventions may build confidence, it risks bypassing the city's deeper systemic problems.
'It's too much of a G20 service delivery initiative instead of a long-term plan for the residents of Johannesburg,' he said
Some of the lessons from the eThekwini municipality working group included that the government did not include civil society as much as it could have, admitted Khule Duma, director of the project management office in the presidency.
In his report to civil society, Duma said the committee faces 'the challenges of repurposing a corporatised entity such as the Johannesburg group'.
President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to establish a working committee in the country's economic hub in March ahead of the G20 November summit has sparked debate on whether ongoing high impact service delivery initiatives will be sustained.
Duma said in phase one, the presidential committee will implement 'quick wins' interventions that will tackle 'low hanging fruit' and show improvements from April to July 2025.
These short-term goals such as fixing streetlights and traffic lights, improved police visibility, addressing potholes and finalising infrastructure agreements aim to build business confidence.
Duma highlighted the positive effect of improved waste management in eThekwini, reflecting there could have been more inclusion of civil society.
Phase two of the Joburg committee will address systemic and complex problems where improvements are expected over a period of 12 to 24 months, he said.
At his visit to the city council, Ramaphosa announced the resurgence of the district development model, a policy enacted prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup to boost intergovernmental collaboration under a 'One Plan' framework across 44 districts.
Chamda told the
Mail & Guardian
that although the district model that renovated identified economic corridors in Sowero and Hilbrow has potential, it will require firm commitments to address the city's interconnected problems.
'The big question for the Joburg Crisis Alliance is whether stakeholders will genuinely have a say in this platform, or whether the government will continue with business as usual — protecting their own interests and relying on methods that have failed in the past,' he said.
Chamda said the committee ought to focus on the 11 key recommendations and 334 public submissions it received from residents to ensure coordination with other existing forums.
Chamda said he is concerned the committee is government top-heavy, incredibly untransparent and with a high risk of legitimising corrupt politicians.
Duma said the committee's aim for the sixth administration is to support municipal structures not as an implementer but as a coordinator of different departments where it will receive monthly reports.
After 15 years of economic stagnation, the
He added the Joburg committee, led by director general in the presidency Phindile Baleni, seeks to accelerate the city's turnaround strategy.
With five apex long-term objectives already identified, Duma said these must now form part of the city's medium-term Integrated Development Programme (IDP).
Members of JCA attending the summit questioned the effectiveness of the city-led presidential committee with the involvement of former Johannesburg Property Company chief executive Helen Boates, who is accused of alleged corruption in the 2023 Usindiso building fire incident.
Duma responded by saying the committee is not a formal section 139 intervention that places local municipalities under administration of the national government, adding it was the city which approached the presidency for assistance.
On Wednesday,
Morero said the Inner-City Revitalisation Project forming part of phase one of the presidential committee is already tackling basic service delivery problems to restore dignity to residents.
Innocent Mabusela, head of communications at Jozi My Jozi, a civil organisation part of the presidential committee, said the initiative is a welcome and timely intervention with the G20 providing impetus to accelerate service delivery.
'Equally encouraging is the City of Johannesburg's ongoing blitz operations, which bring together various government departments and agencies to tackle issues such as urban decay, illegal dumping, unsafe electrical connections, hijacked buildings, and failing water and sewer infrastructure,' Mabuselsa told the M&G.
Mabusela said Jozi my Jozi calls for 'a coalition of the willing' to support the work done by the government.
Neil Gopal, chief executive of the South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa) said it is still too early to determine the outcome of the committee.
Gopal told the M&G that if corruption, crime and municipal backlogs are not addressed then 'the natural consequences are that it will continue to drive away investments, and result in significant impacts which will result in increase to costs of doing business'.
'The
Angela Rivers, general manager of the Johannesburg Property Managers Association (JPOMA), told the M&G there is cautious optimism based on whether the committee can provide real accountability and community involvement to residents eager for change.
Rivers said there is a historical pattern in Johannesburg of plans being announced with much fanfare but faltering at the implementation stage.
'For meaningful change to occur, these structures need to overcome bureaucratic inertia, ensure transparency, and integrate private sector expertise. Without these shifts, there's a risk they may repeat the mistakes of past initiatives that promised legacy benefits but delivered limited long-term impact' she said.
Sicelo Xula, board chairperson of South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), reassured residents at the JCA summit that Eskom will not be cutting power
Xula said Electricity Minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa is in discussion with Morero regarding a settlement agreement to resolve the debt dispute.
The discussions are at an advanced stage, said Xula, adding the minister will consider legacy issues such as the fact that although the debt to Eskom is huge, the debt owed to municipalities is also substantial.
Julia Fish, manager at JoburgCan, a civil society organisation advocating for improved service delivery, said metering data from Eskom is in dispute with City Power in the courts, which raises questions about how long Joburg will be able to keep the lights on.
The presidential committee meets fortnightly, coordinating across eight service delivery workstreams and submits monthly reports to the mayor and presidency.