From Joburg to Woe-burg – Is there still hope for the City of Gold?
Anyone who loves Springbok rugby will be familiar with the Bomb Squad – the brainchild of head coach Rassie Erasmus that sees the Bok bench heavily laden (6-2 or sometimes even 7-1) with massive forwards. The idea is genius in its simplicity: let the starting line-up of forwards empty their tanks in the first half, and then substitute the entire lot with an intimidating group of world class replacements for the last 40 minutes.
Created in 2019, the Springbok Bomb Squad has operated with devastating effect, helping Rassie’s team win two World Cups and a British and Irish Lions series. Although it has its critics, the strategy has proven so successful it’s now been adopted by other teams too, including Scotland, France and Ireland.
The latest “copy-cat” however, comes from a very different – and entirely unexpected – quarter.
Johannesburg Mayor, Dada Morero, in his State of the City Address earlier this month, outlined a turnaround plan to tackle the city’s collapsing infrastructure, which included the introduction of a specialised “bomb squad.”
As I’ve highlighted before in a previous article, our once proud and beautiful City of Gold is tarnished almost beyond recognition and needs around R200 billion just to affect necessary repairs to roads and other infrastructure, and address the many other pressing issues facing the city.
The mayor referred to Joburg’s “state of rot” and said, “we need extreme actions to resolve our challenges.”
The so-called Bomb Squad, which, in the mayor’s words, is a “a high-powered implementation impact team,” is a key driver of these actions.
He went on to say, “This bomb squad will be led by the ANC Veterans’ League boss Snuki Zikalala, and will remove constraints that impact the City’s ability to create the Joburg we want to see.”
It all, as usual, sounds very promising. But it begs one critical question:
What does Mayor Morero mean by “removing constraints?” As far as I can see, the main constraint is a crippling lack of available funds to fix the myriad problems. And I’m not sure how even the biggest, strongest and most muscly bomb squad can make that problem go away.
It’s something the Mayor acknowledges, if a little reluctantly.
According to him, the City’s finances are “fine for now” but it “doesn’t have money to fix critical issues.”
So, not really fine, then.
He made matters more confusing by adding that although the finances are not where he wants them to be, “It’s not bad because we can still meet our financial obligations. But we’re not happy with the state of our finances. We want to improve and be better. But at this stage, we’re not happy with it. We can service our loans and pay them back, so we are fine, but not to that extent that we can raise sufficient revenue to try and address infrastructure backlogs with our own money.”
I feel a WTF is the only appropriate response.
If the Mayor is to be believed, Joburg has enough money, but not really. The finances are not where they should be, but “we’re fine” – except for the small matter of not having the money to fix what actually needs fixing. But hey, it’s all good because they can “meet their obligations,” which clearly don’t include addressing any of the city’s significant infrastructure and other issue.
Yup. Definitely WTF.
Unlike its Springbok namesake, Mayor Morero’s bomb squad is highly unlikely to make an impact within minutes of stepping onto the metaphorical field.
And I’m clearly not the only one who thinks so.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) filed a motion of no confidence against Morero and council speaker Nobuhle Mthembu just hours before the State of the City Address, accusing them of plunging Johannesburg into a “state of total collapse.”
Mark Swilling, Stellenbosch University Professor and member of the National Planning Commission, agrees. He believes that even if (by some miracle, it has to be said) the City managed to find the R200 billion, it would still not be able to prevent a full-scale collapse unless corruption, mismanagement, and infrastructure decay are addressed first.
Morero admits that the tangible effects of the Joburg crisis are most evident in the rapid deterioration of three critical areas: electricity supply, road infrastructure, and water provision.
The city needs around R16 billion just to restore the crumbling road network and repair or replace broken or stolen traffic lights.
Joburg Water CEO Ntshavheni Mukwevho has stated they need R27 billion for “infrastructure renewal,” including replacing aging pipelines. Almost two thirds of Johannesburg’s water network has exceeded its anticipated lifespan, leading to almost daily pipe bursts, leaks and disruptions to supply.
Of course, we can’t forget our old friend, Eskom, nor its partner in crime in Joburg’s case, City Power, which has a backlog of R170 billion just for maintenance and upgrades.
So, how exactly does Morero’s Bomb Squad plan to climb this mountain?
According to a recent interview he gave to the SABC, the strategy is to “raise funds off the balance sheet by seeking private investors or other market solutions to help bridge the gap.”
So apparently, vagueness is now a solid strategy.
To me, it smacks of “all mouth and no hands,” as my Granny used to say. South Africa loves meetings, negotiations, discussion and creating cool-sounding task forces. What we’re evidently not so fond of is actually doing anything.
Talk is cheap. Fixing our problems isn’t.
Right now, Joburg’s Bomb Squad looks like nothing more than yet another attempt to paper over the ever-widening cracks. I’m assuming no one on the squad is donating their time for free, so the mayor will once again need to dip into those abused coffers to pay for their expertise.
It’s throwing good money after bad.
Stephen Grootes wrote recently in the Daily Maverick, “Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has now shown that he can no longer properly manage the city and the coalition he governs.”
Cllr Lebo Modukanene, ActionSA City of Johannesburg Chief Whip, went further:
“[There is a] gaping chasm between words and action, between image and reality, between spin and service,” he said. “Mayor Morero’s address was long on nostalgia and short on substance. [It was] full of high-level targets and bureaucratic jargon, but without any accountability for decaying infrastructure, mushrooming informal settlements, and the daily indignities suffered by residents.
“It painted a picture of optimism that is simply not recognisable to the people living in Johannesburg’s seven regions. While the Mayor celebrated plans and visions, communities across this city continue to suffer – without water, without safety, and without hope.”
I’ll leave you with this, from Edward Boateng, in an article for the B&FT Online:
“We must ask ourselves:
Are we governing, or merely occupying office?
Are we building, or just surviving?
Are we leaders, or caretakers of decline?
“Liberation and struggle politics are over. The new battle is for efficiency, vision, and service. Our youth no longer care who fought for freedom. They care who will fix the roads, keep the lights on, and build a future.
“Africa stands at a crossroads. Either we rise, or we rot.”