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- Intermittent water supplies since 2023, and prolonged water cuts in recent weeks, despite public assurances by Joburg Water that the water supply is being managed adequately.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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- The city\u2019s poor financial position required an R2.5 billion loan from the Agence Fran\u00e7aise de D\u00e9veloppement (AFD) to alleviate service delivery struggles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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- The collapse of services in terms of road maintenance, cleanliness and the provision of affordable housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The JCA believes that the executive mayor and his mayoral committee must be held accountable for these and other critical service delivery lapses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collapse of the City of Johannesburg<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kabelo-Gwamanda.jpg\")
<\/a>Kabelo Gwamanda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The week\u2019s civil protest in Johannesburg followed years of collapse. Water and power outages have become commonplace, and street and traffic lights seldom work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years of neglect and underinvestment forced City Power to implement load reduction to prevent its power systems and infrastructure from collapsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also regular power outages due to cable theft and substation problems. Better management could prevent these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Board chair Bonolo Ramokhele said the network’s issues stemmed from its age and estimated that it would cost R50 billion to fix the century-old infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An equally serious problem is regular water outages, threatening instability and unrest in South Africa\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crumbling infrastructure has caused prolonged water outages, hurting households and businesses in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To address these problems, Rand Water has started to conduct substantial maintenance on parts of the water network. This caused further outages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, News24 reported that Johannesburg is grappling with severe water shortages, affecting over half its population, due to ongoing maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johannesburg\u2019s water infrastructure has not kept pace with its rapid population growth and cannot cope with increased demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johannesburg needs R25 billion to fix its water infrastructure and potentially billions more to replace outdated equipment to meet increasing demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problems do not stop at electricity and water. Traffic lights are often out, and streetlights do not work on many major routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is common to see unemployed people directing traffic at busy intersections due to traffic light problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The city is also beset with crime and corruption, causing many businesses and rich households to leave for the Western Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is difficult to fight corruption as it has infiltrated most aspects of the city, including law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month, City of Johannesburg official Zenzele Benedict Sithole was killed in a hit. He was investigating high-profile corruption cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further calls for Kabelo Gwamanda to resign<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Herman-Mashaba-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a>ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Calls for the removal of Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda extended beyond the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba demanded the removal of Gwamanda before they would partner with the ANC in the city. Other demands include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- The cancellation of the R200 electricity surcharge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The reclamation of hijacked buildings for affordable housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Mashaba said the declining conditions in Johannesburg are partly to blame on selfish interest of political parties and leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey seek to condition their support for matters of governance based on extraneous issues to Johannesburg or its residents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that Gwamanda\u2019s tenure has been an unmitigated failure with the evidence of the downward spiral of Johannesburg evident all around the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe cannot sit on its hands anymore as the city continues its downward spiral to the detriment of Joburg residents,\u201d Mashaba said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They will table a series of motions to turn Johannesburg around in key service delivery matters, including infrastructure renewal and the rejuvenation of the inner city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- The collapse of services in terms of road maintenance, cleanliness and the provision of affordable housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- The city\u2019s poor financial position required an R2.5 billion loan from the Agence Fran\u00e7aise de D\u00e9veloppement (AFD) to alleviate service delivery struggles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n