[Image: Wikimedia Commons]
The City of Johannesburg needs a cool R200 billion to patch up its crumbling infrastructure — because apparently, potholes, power cuts, and burst pipes are the new normal.
To tackle this epic mess, the city’s pulling in a crack team with a name straight out of an action movie: the “bomb squad.” Yes, really.
This little announcement came courtesy of Joburg mayor Dada Morero during his State of the City Address (SOCA) on Wednesday (7 May), where he laid out a “turnaround plan” for a city that’s been spinning out for years.
During his speech, Morero admitted the city is in a full-blown crisis. “We need extreme actions to resolve our challenges,” he declared, per BusinessTech.
Enter the “bomb squad”, not actual bomb disposal experts, but a “high-powered implementation impact team” led by none other than ANC Veterans’ League boss Snuki Zikalala.
“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.”
Sounds intense. Their mission is everything from potholes and illegal power connections to land invasions, zama zamas, illegal dumping, and undocumented migrants. Basically, if it’s broken, burning, or buried underground, it’s on their list.
But here’s the catch: all of this sounds great… until you ask how they’re planning to pay for it.
Morero was pretty candid when pressed on the matter. The City’s finances are apparently “fine for now,” he says, which is a bit like saying your house is “fine” while it’s quietly smouldering.
“It’s not bad because we can still meet our financial obligations,” Morero said. “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.”
That sounds a bit like they can’t exactly fund a mega-projects, like, say, rescuing the entire city from collapse.
Even servicing debt is happening by the skin of Joburg’s teeth.
“We can service our loans and pay them back, so we are fine,” Morero said. “But not to that extent that we can raise sufficient revenue to try and address infrastructure backlogs with our own money.”
Backlogs are a recurring theme here. There’s the R200 billion elephant in the room, of course. “There are challenges in terms of our water infrastructure. We have said it before,” he added. “The entire infrastructure battle is probably sitting at about R200 billion for us to resolve and make a serious change.”
No exaggeration, Johannesburg is literally falling apart.
While Morero was talking up his bomb squad, the DA was sharpening knives. Just hours before the address, the opposition party filed a motion of no confidence in Morero and council speaker Nobuhle Mthembu, accusing them of steering the metro into a “state of total collapse.”
Even if, by some miracle, the City pulls a few billion out of a hat, experts like Professor Mark Swilling from Stellenbosch University warn that no amount of cash will plug the holes unless corruption, mismanagement, and sheer neglect are dealt with head-on.
So, where’s it all going wrong? Let’s break it down.
- Roads: Crumbling. About R16 billion is needed to resuscitate the road network, but budget shortfalls mean it’s being left to die slowly. Potholes are basically part of the scenery now. In some areas, the roads have given up entirely.
- Vandalism and theft: Syndicates are helping themselves to copper wiring, solar panels, and batteries from traffic lights like it’s Black Friday, leaving chaos behind.
- Electricity: City Power is under siege, not just by criminals, but by ancient infrastructure that’s collapsing under its own weight. Maintenance and upgrade backlogs for the grid comes at a casual R170 billion.
- Water: It’s not looking better. Joburg Water CEO Ntshavheni Mukwevho flagged a R27 billion backlog, with ancient pipes and treatment plants cracking under pressure. Over 60% of Joburg’s water network has outlived its intended lifespan, leading to bursts, leaks, and major disruptions.
It’s a full-on infrastructure apocalypse.
Morero told the SABC that they’re trying to hustle R100 billion in the next five years, half of the total needed. “We are exploring ways to raise funds off the balance sheet by seeking private investors or other market solutions to help bridge the gap,” he said.
But so far, there’s no solid plan. Just buzzwords, borrowed time, and a very expensive wishlist. And if Joburg’s crumbling streets, flickering lights, and dry taps are any indication, the clock’s ticking.
[Source: BusinessTech]
