In response to the Johannesburg State of the City Address (SOCA), the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) warned the Mayor that the city cannot keep stumbling from crisis to crisis. The ruling ANC party has to start making unpopular decisions to save the city from ruin.
In its reply, the party reminded Mayor Dada Morero of the backlog in repairing potholes, and the numerous traffic and streetlights that are out of order.
Morero stated in his address that no one in Johannesburg should go to bed hungry. The party’s response was that social grants are not the solution, but that the city’s economy should instead be stimulated to create sustainable job opportunities.
He acknowledged that the city’s financial position is currently unstable, and the Freedom Front Plus reminded him that the party submitted a revised budget with solutions for capital expenditure to him two weeks ago.
The Freedom Front Plus, furthermore, pointed out that Johannesburg is not investing capital in its own projects, but is relying solely on billions in loans and provincial and national grants.
The State of the City Address referred to reviving the CBD, but the Freedom Front Plus believes that it will only be successful when crime is under control and the city is kept clean. That is the only way to attract developers to the area.
In response to the Mayor’s proposal to supply electricity to informal settlements, the party reprimanded him, questioning whether residents can afford to pay for services and warning that it could encourage a culture of non-payment.
Roodepoort’s Region C has one of the highest revenue collection rates. The Freedom Front Plus proposed that 20% of tax revenue from Roodepoort, Randburg, Sandton and Midrand be set aside for maintenance and infrastructure in those areas.
During the meeting, the Mayor displayed the city’s turn-around strategy, which was emailed to President Cyril Ramaphosa, on a large screen. Unfortunately, it was illegible to councillors.
The Freedom Front Plus hopes the following was included in the turn-around strategy:
• Outstanding debt collection.
• Re-evaluating the city’s procurement chain process.
• Decisive action against cable thieves.
• Halting new projects and allocating funds to maintaining infrastructure.
• Finding ways to generate revenue to reduce dependence on provincial and national grants.
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