Fellow Residents of Johannesburg.
Today, I rise not as a mayor, but as a voice of accountability and the proud leader of a caucus that has remained consistent in its mission – to bring ethical leadership and real delivery to Johannesburg.
While the Executive prepares its annual theatre of self-congratulation, ActionSA brings you the true State of the City-unfiltered, uncomfortable, and grounded in what residents live through every day.
1. Johannesburg Is in Crisis – And Residents Are Paying the Price
We have traversed all seven regions of the City.
We have listened to your cries in IDP sessions and community engagements. The message is clear: our residents are tired, angry, and abandoned
This city is not failing because of a lack of money. It is failing because of a lack of political will, a collapse of leadership, and a tolerance for corruption.
Let me echo the voices of our people:
• We do not have water.
• We do not feel safe.
We cannot find work.
• We live in darkness while the city debates tariffs.
• We are tired of being ignored.
And above all:
“We do NOT need an electricity surcharge!”
2. Political Continuity of Failure
Promises made by the former mayor, Clir Kabelo Gwamanda, were abandoned the day he left office. But make no mistake —the administration remains unchanged.
The same officials, the same MMCs, the same internal networks. They have simply reshuffled the faces. It’s the same blueprint: reshuffle the actors, repeat the script, and hope no one notices that nothing has changed at all.
If Johannesburg is to escape its downward spiral, the current Executive must stop excluding the views of other parties and start listening to the people of this City.
3. A City in Decay – Region by Region
In Region A, more than 50 informal settlements still lack basic water and sanitation. Streetlights in Diepsloot haven’t worked for decades. In Ivory Park, crime thrives in darkness. The local swimming pool project has been abandoned since 2015.
In Orange Farm residents line up daily for water. In Bramfischerville floods persist without intervention. And a R3.6 million “Donkey Park” project is frozen -another graveyard of failed infrastructure.
This isn’t just neglect. It is systemic failure.
4. Corruption: The Root of Collapse
At the core of this decay is corruption hidden behind bureaucracy.
Take the infamous R236 million water tanker tender-secretly awarded, riddled with irregularities, and utterly useless in the face of drought. That is not money stolen from budgets. That is money stolen from families, from schools, from dignity.
ActionSA believes that ethical leadership is non-negotiable.
We propose:
• A transparent open-tender system,
• Performance-based contracts for officials,
• And permanent blacklisting of contractors who fail our communities.
Unlike this administration, we do not protect cadres. We prosecute criminals.
5. Our Solutions – A Manifesto in Motion
ActionSA doesn’t just critique – we build.
• The City must provide Water, Boreholes and upgraded bulk infrastructure in Orange Farm and Zandspruit.
• Provide Electricity, Solar streetlights in Diepsloot and Eldorado Park this year-not in the next term.
• In terms of Community Development: the city must Revive Joubert Park Clinic and complete multipurpose centres in Regions B and F.
• In dealing with Waste Management, the City must Deploy compactors to hotspots like Meadowlands and Region F.
• Job Creation: Enforce local hiring for every RDP project. Brick by brick, ward by ward.
This is not a dream – it is delivery in motion.
6. Restoring Public Trust
Residents have lost faith in government processes. IDP meetings are half empty, not from apathy, but from despair.
We propose:
- Quarterly regional town halls,
- Public scorecards for councillor performance,
- And participatory budgeting, where residents help decide how 15% of ward allocations are spent.
7. Oversight and ActionSA’s Leadership
Let it be known: while others govern, ActionSA leads oversight.
We efficiently chair the Section 79 Committees of:
Public Safety
• Finance
Environment and Infrastructure Services
Through these plattorms, we are demanding answers, exposing wastetul expenditure, and driving reforms-because oversight is not a box-ticking exercise, it is a defence of our people’s dignity.
Conclusion – A Call to Action
Fellow residents Johannesburg is at a crossroads.
We can continue on the path of excuses, slogans, and selfenrichment-or we can choose ethical leadership, service based governance, and honest delivery.
ActionSA is not asking to be believed.
We are asking to be judged by our work, our plan, and our resolve.
The time for talk is over. Residents want action.
Because Johannesburg deserves service —not excuses.
And ActionSA delivers.
Thank you.
Alternative State Of The City Address: The Time For Talk Is Over – Joburg Residents Want Action
Fellow Residents of Johannesburg.
Today, I rise not as a mayor, but as a voice of accountability and the proud leader of a caucus that has remained consistent in its mission – to bring ethical leadership and real delivery to Johannesburg.
While the Executive prepares its annual theatre of self-congratulation, ActionSA brings you the true State of the City-unfiltered, uncomfortable, and grounded in what residents live through every day.
1. Johannesburg Is in Crisis – And Residents Are Paying the Price
We have traversed all seven regions of the City.
We have listened to your cries in IDP sessions and community engagements. The message is clear: our residents are tired, angry, and abandoned
This city is not failing because of a lack of money. It is failing because of a lack of political will, a collapse of leadership, and a tolerance for corruption.
Let me echo the voices of our people:
• We do not have water.
• We do not feel safe.
We cannot find work.
• We live in darkness while the city debates tariffs.
• We are tired of being ignored.
And above all:
“We do NOT need an electricity surcharge!”
2. Political Continuity of Failure
Promises made by the former mayor, Clir Kabelo Gwamanda, were abandoned the day he left office. But make no mistake —the administration remains unchanged.
The same officials, the same MMCs, the same internal networks. They have simply reshuffled the faces. It’s the same blueprint: reshuffle the actors, repeat the script, and hope no one notices that nothing has changed at all.
If Johannesburg is to escape its downward spiral, the current Executive must stop excluding the views of other parties and start listening to the people of this City.
3. A City in Decay – Region by Region
In Region A, more than 50 informal settlements still lack basic water and sanitation. Streetlights in Diepsloot haven’t worked for decades. In Ivory Park, crime thrives in darkness. The local swimming pool project has been abandoned since 2015.
In Orange Farm residents line up daily for water. In Bramfischerville floods persist without intervention. And a R3.6 million “Donkey Park” project is frozen -another graveyard of failed infrastructure.
This isn’t just neglect. It is systemic failure.
4. Corruption: The Root of Collapse
At the core of this decay is corruption hidden behind bureaucracy.
Take the infamous R236 million water tanker tender-secretly awarded, riddled with irregularities, and utterly useless in the face of drought. That is not money stolen from budgets. That is money stolen from families, from schools, from dignity.
ActionSA believes that ethical leadership is non-negotiable.
We propose:
• A transparent open-tender system,
• Performance-based contracts for officials,
• And permanent blacklisting of contractors who fail our communities.
Unlike this administration, we do not protect cadres. We prosecute criminals.
5. Our Solutions – A Manifesto in Motion
ActionSA doesn’t just critique – we build.
• The City must provide Water, Boreholes and upgraded bulk infrastructure in Orange Farm and Zandspruit.
• Provide Electricity, Solar streetlights in Diepsloot and Eldorado Park this year-not in the next term.
• In terms of Community Development: the city must Revive Joubert Park Clinic and complete multipurpose centres in Regions B and F.
• In dealing with Waste Management, the City must Deploy compactors to hotspots like Meadowlands and Region F.
• Job Creation: Enforce local hiring for every RDP project. Brick by brick, ward by ward.
This is not a dream – it is delivery in motion.
6. Restoring Public Trust
Residents have lost faith in government processes. IDP meetings are half empty, not from apathy, but from despair.
We propose:
7. Oversight and ActionSA’s Leadership
Let it be known: while others govern, ActionSA leads oversight.
We efficiently chair the Section 79 Committees of:
Public Safety
• Finance
Environment and Infrastructure Services
Through these plattorms, we are demanding answers, exposing wastetul expenditure, and driving reforms-because oversight is not a box-ticking exercise, it is a defence of our people’s dignity.
Conclusion – A Call to Action
Fellow residents Johannesburg is at a crossroads.
We can continue on the path of excuses, slogans, and selfenrichment-or we can choose ethical leadership, service based governance, and honest delivery.
ActionSA is not asking to be believed.
We are asking to be judged by our work, our plan, and our resolve.
The time for talk is over. Residents want action.
Because Johannesburg deserves service —not excuses.
And ActionSA delivers.
Thank you.