Joburg needs action, not a ‘bomb squad'

The Citizen

13-05-2025

The creation of a bomb squad to tackle Joburg's woes is a misguided solution that distracts from the real accountability needed.
There is a school of thought among social media conspiracy theorists that the decline in the provision of quality services by state-owned enterprises and government structures is deliberately allowed to happen by individuals who have either set up their own private entities to step into the gap and profit, or allow their friends and families to profit.
For instance, the chaos in the health care system obviously favours private hospital owners as well as providers of medical aid because there would be no need for their services if the state could provide these by efficiently using the money collected from taxpayers.
These obviously remain conspiracy theories until proven otherwise, but the chaos in the administration of places like the City of Joburg municipality does nothing to disprove the theories.
The mayor of the city has come up with one of the strangest solutions to the failure of the metropolitan municipality to arrest the decay in this once beautiful city at the hub of South Africa's centre of commerce.
He has suggested the establishment of a Springbok rugby-inspired 'bomb squad' that will step in when the city fails in the provision of services.
In other words, a structure would be established to cover for the failures of the constitutionally mandated structures that form the municipality of Joburg.
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This is probably the most bizarre suggestion yet made to rescue a dysfunctional municipality, the formation of what would effectively become a parallel council.
The problems facing the City of Joburg are not new or unique.
The breakdown in infrastructure of simple things like traffic lights and the proliferation of potholes on the city's roads are nothing but lack of maintenance.
There is the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) that was formed in 2001 for precisely that purpose – the planning, construction and maintenance of roads.
What would the bomb squad do in this instance? What would the JRA do when their job is done for them?
The decay in the inner city buildings that has led to shacks being erected in high-rise buildings means that for the past three decades, the member of the mayoral committee on the environment and infrastructure has been sleeping on the job.
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Why is Joburg city centre infested with criminals robbing people in broad daylight? Where is the MMC for community safety?
These problems do not need a bomb squad that will also be paid out of taxpayer money, they need those elected like Dada Morero himself to do what they are paid to do.
If they cannot they need to move aside and let those who can to do those jobs take over.
The DA has proposed a motion of no confidence in the mayor and the speaker.
South Africans have seen this movie before.
It does not end well.
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In fact, part of the chaos in the City of Joburg is because of these endless motions of no confidence which result in the disruption of the little service delivery that is happening, with a new team coming in and trying to find their feet while residents suffer.
There were murmurs from a 'shocked' President Cyril Ramaphosa about restoring the city to its former glory a while ago.
Maybe he needs to put that in motion before the upcoming elections because the suggestion that is on the table right now is proving the conspiracy theorists right.
There must be individuals or entities that benefit from a run-down City of Joburg, otherwise why would they allow the chaos to continue?
Joburg can easily return to its former glory if everyone did their job, without bomb squads.