Tau tough talk on city slackers

After at least two government ministers intervened in Johannesburg's billing crisis, mayor Parks Tau has announced audacious plans to improve service delivery in a bid to restore the image of South Africa's wealthiest city.

Speaking to journalists after his State of the City speech, Tau said the billing crisis is still a "source of frustration" for residents, and that he would give written warnings to officials found to be slacking.

Tau said the city's billing woes, which have haunted him since he was a member of the mayoral committee for finance, took centre stage when he appointed the new city boss, Trevor Fowler.

Tau said the city has been burning the midnight oil to resolve the billing issues and restore the confidence of the city's residents.

"We would not have raised the billing issue if it were not a concern. It requires resolution in the interests of the residents and the interests of the city.

"It is not acceptable for people to wait long periods to have calls answered, or have calls dropped when they eventually get through."

Tau said:

• All employees would sign service-level agreements by June, and those found guilty of underperforming or poor customer service would be held accountable;
• He would hold follow-up meetings with the National Roads Agency because he is concerned at how the implementation of Gauteng's e-tolling would divert traffic to municipal roads and cause them to deteriorate;
• The municipality would raise and invest R100-billion in 10 years in economic and social infrastructure projects,
• The Alexandra Renewal Project, which was launched by former President Thabo Mbeki a few years ago, would be revived, and
• At least 10 metro police officers would be deployed in each of the city's wards to eliminate crime across the city.

Turning to celebrated musician Hugh Masekela's song Stimela, which depicted the life of the urban poor in Joburg, Tau said independent research showed that 42% of Johannesburg's poor go for up to four days a month without a meal.

He said most of them were people who migrated to the city to seek economic opportunities, and that the municipality's growth and development strategy would be reviewed to address this.

"Though these migrants do not all live, as in Masekela's song, in 'stinking, funky, filthy, flea-ridden barracks and hostels', the majority of them are forced to live in squalid conditions, hijacked inner-city buildings and informal settlements."