'New political coalition reality has brought about a myriad of challenges,' says Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda

Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said on Tuesday the city had its share of difficulties emanating from the transactional period of the political landscape.

Delivering his maiden state of the city address, Gwamanda reflected on how post 2016, the city had been governed by various coalitions .

“This new political reality has introduced a myriad of challenges, both for governance and politics. More importantly, it has introduced unprecedented levels of instability.”

The mayor vowed to turn things around, saying his “government of local unity coalition” was navigating the terrain to create the most business-efficient and reliable political system in the interests of its residents.

“Our people want to live and work in a safe and clean city. They want to travel on maintained and tarred roads. They want to open their taps every morning and find clean water flowing, and this is the mandate to which we are committed equally to all residents across the city,” he said.

Gwamanda outlined his administration's determination to meet residents' most basic needs and their expectations of local government.

“It is with earnestness, humility and determination that I share with you the current state of our progress as reflected in our corporate scorecard as the City of Johannesburg, acknowledging that we find ourselves at a performance level of 66% at the end of the third quarter,” he said.

Admitting this figure may not meet the administration's initial expectations, Gwamanda said it was essential to recognise the significant strides made by the government of local unity despite the challenges that were inherited from the previous leadership.

“When we assumed office, we were faced with a fragile state of finances that demanded immediate attention. It necessitated aligning our priorities and rebasing our budget to lay the foundation for sustainable growth and development.”

The mayor said his administration had embarked on a journey of restructuring, making tough decisions and implementing strategic reforms.

“By diligently reviewing our budget, re-evaluating our expenditure and generating more revenue, we have taken steps to ensure that every rand is utilised efficiently and effectively,” he said.

“This rigorous process has allowed us to realign our priorities, focusing on key areas such as infrastructure development and refurbishment, actively engaging with our citizenry, and facilitating job creation opportunities.”

He pledged to “first be cognisant of our reality — lest we be accused of daydreaming”.

Gwamanda took a jab at the former leadership, calling their previous budget “conceptually flawed”.

“What we know now as fact, is that the city’s finances remain strained. The government of local unity found itself in a budget rebasing exercise in the adjustment budget process, and is grappling with finding innovative, novel and financially prudent mechanisms to ensure that service delivery continues,” he said.

The mayor said the coalition had exited office at the end of June 2021 with audited financial statements reflecting a city with a healthy cash balance of R6.6bn. 

Gwamanda said on its return in January 2023 when it took over, it found a near-bankrupt municipality with more than R6bn in unpaid supplier invoices.

“After consistent denial of the true state of affairs by the multiparty government, this government of local unity approved a short-term loan facility to begin to clear the unpaid invoices.”

Without a financially sound city, Gwamanda said his government would not be able to invest as required in its core municipal mandate of delivering basic services.

“This includes ensuring the security of electricity and water supply, efficient roads infrastructure and the many other service delivery mandates that demand immediate attention,” he said.

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