Cape Town – Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has vowed to restore the city following criticism from President Cyril Ramaphosa over its deteriorating state.
During a two-day meeting with Joburg management and Gauteng officials, Ramaphosa expressed disappointment over service delivery failures.
Known as the city of gold or Jozi, Johannesburg is South Africa’s financial capital and home to the richest square mile in Africa.
But certain areas have fallen into a state of disrepair, a legacy of years of mismanagement in the city of nearly five million people.
“One or two meetings that I attended here were not very pleasing,” Ramaphosa said.
“The environment that one observes was not a pleasing environment,” he said.
“I say this so that can improve immensely.”
Morero pledged to oversee the city’s restoration, EWN reported.
He reaffirmed Johannesburg’s economic importance, saying that collaboration is key to its revival.
“The message is one and the message is clear, Johannesburg cannot fail. It contributes just around 16% towards the GDP. So naturally it can’t fail. All of us have to come together to make Johannesburg work,” the report quoted Morero as saying.
The city last month hosted the G20 foreign ministers meeting at an exhibition centre near a stadium that hosted the 2010 World Cup final.
While the country boasts of some of the best infrastructure on the continent, potholes on city roads and traffic light failures are a common feature.
Ramaphosa called on the province to address the “governance failures, financial mismanagement, crumbling infrastructure, crime and lawlessness and unreliable service delivery” that plague the city.
“As South Africans we are proud people and let us get that pride to lift us up so that we do present a G20 that will wow people,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
