ANC Joburg – Parks Tau’s cries for attention

22 August 2017

A corrupt and idealess ANC has yet again exposed itself not only as a failed government but a failed opposition party as well. This follows yet another attempt by the ANC’s former Mayor, Cllr Parks Tau, to revive his political career from the ashes.

It is deeply saddening that the ANC in Johannesburg, without irony, would hold a press conference to purportedly evaluate the performance of the current administration, when the ANC ran the City in an environment of chaos, disorder, poor service delivery and corruption.

It’s truly ironic that the ANC in Joburg, the party that presided over endemic corruption, would brazenly evaluate the performance of a new government that is now forced to rectifying their failures.

When the new administration came into office, a number of corruption cases were uncovered, which the previous ANC administration had refused to act on. Currently, there are 1920 cases under investigation within the City.

With respect to the City’s current financial performance, for the year 2016/17, the unaudited numbers show a significant reduction in the variance between the budgeted and the actual revenue collected compared to 2015/16.

This is an improvement from a R3.4 billion negative variance in the 2015/16 financial year to an improved R2.7 billion negative variance for the 2016/17 financial year. In March and June 2017, the revenue that was collected exceeded R3 billion. Never before has the City of Johannesburg collected revenue exceeding R3 billion in a period of two months. This improved revenue collection means improved service delivery.

Total revenue collection in the 2015/16 financial year was R34.9 billion as opposed to an improved collection of R35.2 billion in the 2016/17 financial year. The City also assesses its revenue collection performance through financial ratios. Our forecasted debt to revenue ratio is 40.7%, well within the City’s target. Our main liquidity ratio measure, cost coverage ratio, is also projected to be a healthy 36 days, well above the National Treasury benchmark.

Ultimately, measurement of the City’s performance with respect to service delivery should be left to the residents themselves and not a political party or its leader, who seem to be struggling with maintaining their relevance.

The City’s recent customer satisfaction survey – run by an independent service provider – indicated that Johannesburg residents are seeing the change which has been brought by the DA-led coalition government.

These are survey results which the previous administration kept under lock and key due to the fact that they indicated downward trends in performance. The last survey of this kind was conducted in 2015.

The results of the current survey, conducted in April 2017 under the DA-led administration, demonstrates a rise in the City’s overall performance, from 59% in 2015 to 61% in 2017. This increase effectively turns around a downward trend in the City dating back to 2009.

The results are also confirmed by a recent 6-monthly Government Performance Barometer undertaken by Ipsos, which found that residents’ overall perceptions of how well the City was performing went from 39% in July 2016 to 53% in July 2017.

Under the same survey, overall perceptions of how well the City was handling the delivery of basic services, such and water and electricity, increased from 51 % in July of 2016 to 59% in July of this year.

In terms of the City’s survey, the basic household services indicator achieved a 4% point increase from 59% in 2015 to 63% in 2017. This indicator has also been on a downward trend since 2010 and takes place against the context of aged and crumbling electrical and water infrastructure.

Improving the lives of residents is precisely what the DA-led administration delivered as recently as this morning with the launch of the electrification of Klipspruit, a mere two kilometers from the famous Kliptown, the birthplace of the Freedom Charter.

This was a community which had been forgotten and left to fend for itself by previous ANC-led administrations.

Since the DA-led coalition’s time in government, we have:

- Given residents the dignity of owning a home by delivering 2,714 title deeds;

- advanced the electrification of a total of 1,000 homes in Meriteng and Fine Town – more communities previously forgotten by past administrations;
- allocated almost R163 million to provide electricity and water connections to poor residents in informal settlements throughout the city through the City’s new budget;

- invested R482 million over the next 3 years to clean informal communities;

- invested R40 million to enhance sanitation in the City’s informal settlements through the City’s new budget;

- increased access to healthcare for poor communities by extending clinic operating hours at Princess, Freedom Park, Hikensile, Randburg, Zandspruit, and the Albert Street clinics;

- To the R170 billion infrastructure backlog created by the previous administration, we have –

Repaired 117,483 potholes across the City, which ANC administrations had allowed to degrade to dangerous levels.

Allocated R5.2 billion to upgrading our existing infrastructure. A further R3.3 billion is provided for the development of new infrastructure. R4.3 billion has also been allocated to progressively address the much-needed repairs and maintenance of our existing infrastructure system.

- We have also allocated R574 million in capital expenditure and R115 million of operational expenditure for the upgrading of 10 informal settlements throughout the City in the 2017/18 financial year. A total of 51 informal settlements will be upgraded over the next three years. By comparison, the previous ANC administration set itself a target of upgrading a mere two informal settlements in the 2016/17 financial year.

This is the change we are bringing to the people of this City and that is the true reflection of the DA – led Coalition Government’s performance.

The ANC failed the people of Johannesburg during their time in government.

If they truly care for the residents of this City, they would take responsibility for the mess they created in their time in office rather than hosting ill-conceived press briefings.

Issued by Khume Ramulifho, DA Johannesburg Regional Chairperson, 22 July 2017