Helen Zille might be right about one thing: Johannesburg desperately needs greater investment in water infrastructure. Residents feel the pain of bursts, leaks and interruptions every day.
But here is the reality. This is not a new idea. It is merely a reflection of the work I led as Mayor, leading one of the most significant efforts in years to redirect resources back into water and essential infrastructure. That work proved critical where it mattered most.
When I became Mayor in 2016, Johannesburg was in a state of deep crisis. The city was losing over 100 billion litres of water every year through leaks. Service failures were part of daily life and behind it all was a monstrous R170 billion infrastructure backlog that had been allowed to grow unchecked for decades.
What at first seemed an insurmountable challenge became the constant reality that kept my administration awake at night. Every step revealed another crisis demanding attention, but I was simply not prepared to lead a reactive administration that jumped from one emergency to the next. My fight was to rebuild Johannesburg and that required one thing above all: a clear and credible plan.
This mindset became the foundation of what we achieved in just three years. With a clear plan to turn Johannesburg around, we focused on the city’s most urgent needs and specifically the water crisis. Through what we called the Diphetogo programme, I redirected the City’s capital budget away from non-essentials and towards the basics that matter most.
This programme saw Joburg Water’s allocation grow from just 8% in 2016/17 to 14% in 2019/20 – a 75% increase in investment, representing perhaps the most consequential step in beginning to resolve the city’s water crisis. Across the board, infrastructure and housing spending rose from 58% to 70% of the capital budget, as we cut the fat that had long drained city resources and made every effort to direct every cent toward reducing the R170 billion infrastructure backlog.
Now, I can honestly admit that this was not enough and I wanted more, but I had to recognise that reprioritising city funding in such a fundamental way does not happen overnight, yet I nevertheless fought to make it happen in record time, and the results spoke for themselves. It proved that working according to a credible plan delivered real results in just three years:
- 6 km of water pipes and 125.9 km of sewer pipes were replaced.
- Johannesburg recorded the first sustained decline in pipe bursts in seven years.
- In 2018/19, the City achieved the first decline in sewer blockages since 2012/13.
- By 2019, 91% of pipe bursts were repaired within 48 hours and 96% of sewer blockages were cleared within 24 hours.
- Drinking water compliance with E. Coli standards reached 99%, ranking among the best in the country.
These are the results of difficult decisions, budget reprioritisation and the hands-on focus on delivery that was championed under my watch. Which is why my point is simple. Politicians should not be measured by lofty theories or campaign promises, or, as in this case, by appropriating ideas without credit that were already successfully piloted by my administration.
I believe that more than anything, while recognising that three years was never going to be enough to fix decades of neglect, those years showed what is possible with clear priorities and political will. That is the exact blueprint now in effect in Tshwane under Dr Nasiphi Moya and the multi-party coalition.
In reflecting on my tenure, three things are clear. The foundations were laid, progress was underway and Johannesburg had begun to see results. This is why I say with confidence today: I have not only spoken about how to fix Johannesburg’s water challenges, I have done it before. That knowledge and experience now anchors ActionSA’s vision for what can be achieved again.
That said, Helen Zille is right to highlight the need for investment, but residents deserve to know that the turnaround had already begun under my leadership, and ironically it was the same Zille who orchestrated my removal as Mayor just as Johannesburg was achieving record success in effective infrastructure investment.
But what matters now is the courage to continue on that path and the resolve to keep investing in the services that truly matter to the people of Johannesburg.
Investing in Water Is Not a New Idea – I Did It as Mayor
Helen Zille might be right about one thing: Johannesburg desperately needs greater investment in water infrastructure. Residents feel the pain of bursts, leaks and interruptions every day.
But here is the reality. This is not a new idea. It is merely a reflection of the work I led as Mayor, leading one of the most significant efforts in years to redirect resources back into water and essential infrastructure. That work proved critical where it mattered most.
When I became Mayor in 2016, Johannesburg was in a state of deep crisis. The city was losing over 100 billion litres of water every year through leaks. Service failures were part of daily life and behind it all was a monstrous R170 billion infrastructure backlog that had been allowed to grow unchecked for decades.
What at first seemed an insurmountable challenge became the constant reality that kept my administration awake at night. Every step revealed another crisis demanding attention, but I was simply not prepared to lead a reactive administration that jumped from one emergency to the next. My fight was to rebuild Johannesburg and that required one thing above all: a clear and credible plan.
This mindset became the foundation of what we achieved in just three years. With a clear plan to turn Johannesburg around, we focused on the city’s most urgent needs and specifically the water crisis. Through what we called the Diphetogo programme, I redirected the City’s capital budget away from non-essentials and towards the basics that matter most.
This programme saw Joburg Water’s allocation grow from just 8% in 2016/17 to 14% in 2019/20 – a 75% increase in investment, representing perhaps the most consequential step in beginning to resolve the city’s water crisis. Across the board, infrastructure and housing spending rose from 58% to 70% of the capital budget, as we cut the fat that had long drained city resources and made every effort to direct every cent toward reducing the R170 billion infrastructure backlog.
Now, I can honestly admit that this was not enough and I wanted more, but I had to recognise that reprioritising city funding in such a fundamental way does not happen overnight, yet I nevertheless fought to make it happen in record time, and the results spoke for themselves. It proved that working according to a credible plan delivered real results in just three years:
These are the results of difficult decisions, budget reprioritisation and the hands-on focus on delivery that was championed under my watch. Which is why my point is simple. Politicians should not be measured by lofty theories or campaign promises, or, as in this case, by appropriating ideas without credit that were already successfully piloted by my administration.
I believe that more than anything, while recognising that three years was never going to be enough to fix decades of neglect, those years showed what is possible with clear priorities and political will. That is the exact blueprint now in effect in Tshwane under Dr Nasiphi Moya and the multi-party coalition.
In reflecting on my tenure, three things are clear. The foundations were laid, progress was underway and Johannesburg had begun to see results. This is why I say with confidence today: I have not only spoken about how to fix Johannesburg’s water challenges, I have done it before. That knowledge and experience now anchors ActionSA’s vision for what can be achieved again.
That said, Helen Zille is right to highlight the need for investment, but residents deserve to know that the turnaround had already begun under my leadership, and ironically it was the same Zille who orchestrated my removal as Mayor just as Johannesburg was achieving record success in effective infrastructure investment.
But what matters now is the courage to continue on that path and the resolve to keep investing in the services that truly matter to the people of Johannesburg.