Arrogant, incompetent Gwamanda must go: Joburg Crisis Alliance

The Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) says for the city to thrive, "arrogant, incompetent" mayor Kabelo Gwamanda must go. 

The JCA — a coalition of civil society organisations including the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and Rivonia Circle — held a media briefing on Thursday where they laid out reasons for their calls for Gwamanda and his mayoral committee to resign.

Speaking on behalf of the JCA, executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Neeshan Balton said there has been a significant decline in citizen confidence and trust in the leadership of Gwamanda.  

“Since its establishment in July 2023, the JCA and its convening organisations have witnessed an ongoing regression in the quality of services being rendered by the city and its entities, much to the detriment of residents of Johannesburg,” he explained.

Specific “failures” cited by the JCA include “the arrogant, uncaring and insensitive handling of the electricity surcharge and tariff increase by the city and ongoing widespread electricity outages across the city, and the contemptuous and disdainful press statement issued by the executive mayor labelling Johannesburg residents who raised their concerns about the electricity surcharge as stooges. 

“Intermittent water supplies since 2023 and prolonged water cuts in recent weeks despite public assurances by Joburg Water that water supply is being managed adequately, resulting in street protests in different parts of the city.

“The admission by the MMC of finance that the city needs to loan an amount of R2.5bn from Agence Française de Dévelopement (AFD) to cover budget shortfalls, the virtual collapse of services in terms of road maintenance, cleanliness and the provision of affordable housing and the tragic assassination of a lead investigator into corruption in the city,” said Balton. 

The JCA believes Gwamanda and his mayoral committee must be held accountable for these and “other critical lapses in service delivery to the public”.

A demonstration to intensify the calls for Gwamanda to resign is set to take place on Saturday.

The civil society grouping said they have no faith in Gwamanda to arrest the deteriorating situation and are demanding change. 

“We do not believe that councillor Gwamanda and his team has the requisite skills and capability to resolve the deepening governance crisis in Johannesburg,” said Balton.

“Further, the mayor and his mayoral committee seem to lack genuine concern for the wellbeing of Johannesburg and its residents. Hence our call that mayor Gwamanda must resign and that a new leadership must be installed in the city.”

The JCA also wants:

• a review of the recent prepaid electricity tariffs;
• an end to unplanned water cuts;
• emergency water provision to under-serviced communities;
• decisive and consistent measures in combating corruption and protecting whistle-blowers and investigators;
• open, transparent and proper consultation with civil society, business and labour; and
• an end to unplanned electricity load reduction. 

The coalition's call for change in the leadership is not made in favour of any political party, Balton added. 

“We hold the view that whoever assumes leadership in the city must be held to account, irrespective of which political party they represent.”

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