DA AND MASHABA FAIL TO IMPLEMENT LARGE-SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT SINCE COMING INTO OFFICE
Johannesburg, Tuesday, 07 November 2017
The ANC Greater Johannesburg notes the reports by Herman Mashaba about Johannesburg’s Infrastructure being on a brink of collapse. This is not amazing to us as Mashaba lacks an understanding and appreciation of the work done by the ANC government in Johannesburg over the past 20 years.
We understand that Mashaba is under pressure to project himself as a Savior – but what he announced we had already communicated several years ago. He may not have paid attention, as he was busy with his hair business; but the legacy of 300 years of colonial rule and 48 years of apartheid under-investment in black areas will take longer than Mashaba can comprehend to eradicate.
The pronouncements made by Mashaba are, in fact, not discoveries. It is our research that informed our strategies and the Consolidated Infrastructure Plan. To announce it as if he discovered the challenge is not only disingenuous but is further proof of his alarmist character. In fact, at the induction of the new administration the Consolidated Infrastructure Plan was presented to Mashaba and the DA.
The reality of the situation is that the ANC government in Johannesburg did the following:
1. As part of Egoli 2000 program the ANC government conducted a thorough assessment of Johannesburg’s infrastructure
2. The infrastructure assessment provided the ANC government with a firm understanding of infrastructure available, the conditions of the infrastructure and the infrastructure required against the growing population of Johannesburg
3. A ten year Consolidated Infrastructure Plan was developed and its financial requirements
4. The infrastructure Plan made provision for dealing with the infrastructure backlog, the rolling out of new infrastructure and the maintenance of current infrastructure
5. In 2011 a further in depth assessment of Johannesburg’s infrastructure was done resulting to the development of a 20 year Infrastructure Development Plan and its financial requirements
6. A total of R100 billion was budgeted for a ten-year period starting in 2013 to address infrastructure backlog; while rolling out new infrastructure and maintaining existing infrastructure, R 30 billion had already been spent.
7. The ANC government spent an average Capital Budget expenditure of R8.5 billion per year on Infrastructure
8. The Infrastructure Plan saw the upgrade of infrastructure and the roll out of new infrastructure in areas such as Soweto where today there is no single street that is untarred
9. Storm water upgrades have been rolled out in Orange Farm, Klipspruit West, and Ivory Park. The massive upgrade of the M1 double-decker highway are a few examples
Under the ANC government, Johannesburg spent more on Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) than any other municipality in terms of infrastructure spending. New housing settlements like Lehae, Fleurhof, Braam Fischerville, Lufhereng have been built to provide housing for the people of our city. The electricity transformers age profile is 27 years today as opposed to 47 years old at the time we did an analysis. This is as a result of our focused Capital Infrastructure Plan as the ANC.
Mashaba and the DA have failed to implement any large-scale infrastructure project since coming into office. They have cancelled infrastructure and housing projects that were meant to deal with the backlog. A typical example of this is the cancellation of the Kliptown Housing Development Project that would have yielded over 1 200 houses. Under the DA’s leadership City Power has been run down and is currently in the red for R1.22 billion. This has resulted in Mashaba and the DA not having money to cross-subsidize other service delivery programs in the city let alone maintain and roll out new infrastructure.
The lousy leadership of the DA has seen R284 million in grants being sent back to National Treasury as it was unspent by the DA administration during the 2016/2017 financial year. Mashaba and the DA are now sitting at 44.62% in terms of debt to ratio income, meaning, the DA administration will not be able to borrow money from financial institutions to carry out infrastructure projects. This administration has taken away money meant for the tarring of roads and storm water projects in Orange Farm, Doornkop and Ivory Park, as well as money from the infrastructure upgrades of hostels.
Since Mashaba’s term of office commenced, a new informal settlement is established almost every weekend in Johannesburg. Under such poor leadership residents remain the most significantly affected.
The City of Johannesburg can no longer afford to have Mashaba and the DA preside over and destroy Africa’s pre-eminent City. The ANC Greater Johannesburg Region will as a matter of urgency resubmit a motion of no confidence on Mashaba and Speaker Vasco da Gama for the city’s financial ruin and the lack of oversight and accountability for such a crisis.
Statement issued by Jolidee Matongo, ANC Joburg Region spokesperson, 7 November 2017
