President Cyril Ramaphosa does not believe that placing the troubled City of Johannesburg under administration will be in the best interests of the Joburg residents.

“Calling for administration can also be a very long legislative process. There is now a new energy that has been injected to all stakeholders, be it academics, be it young people,” Ramaphosa said.

He was responding to a question posed by Build One South Africa (BOSA) Member of Parliament, Mmusi Maimane at the National Assembly session on Tuesday.

Maimane asked why Ramaphosa did not place the troubled City of Johannesburg under administration.

IOL News reported last week that Ramaphosa had announced that the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group (PJWG) would be dispatched to help the city address its dire challenges.

During his visit to Johannesburg last week, Ramaphosa expressed concern about the city’s deteriorating state.

The city is grappling with ongoing issues such as pothole-riddled roads, malfunctioning traffic lights, water shortages, hijacked buildings, a power supply crisis, and uncontrolled waste.

The challenges had persisted for years, but nothing had been done to address them, leading to a decline in the city’s standards, according to Ramaphosa.

In the National Assembly, Ramaphosa expressed confidence that the PJWG would help turn things around Johannesburg, citing his experience with the City of Ekurhuleni, which encountered similar challenges.

“I expect the same to be obtained in Johannesburg,” Ramaphosa said.

“We have already met with the banks, because Johannesburg is still the capital city of money. The banks are very keen to work with our metro government there to revamp and to revive the city, but more importantly, to make sure that service delivery is delivered in the way that our citizens in Johannesburg expect.”

Ramaphosa emphasised that placing the city under administration will not serve the interests of the residents.

He expressed optimism about the city’s future.

“I do believe that Johannesburg will be turned around as all key stakeholders get together and work on specific areas of turnaround and Johannesburg should be able to return to its former glory,” Ramaphosa said.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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