PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO
1 August 2024
Al Jama-ah condemns the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and its right-wing allies for ganging up against the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg:
Al Jama-ah Party has been closely watching the villains in their “Scramble for Mayorship” of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) through sly and deplorable agendas to oust the Executive Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda.
The actions of individuals on the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation (AKF) are highly questionable as they along with their allies such as DA rightwing NGOs have embarked on a vicious campaign to undermine Gwamanda and the transformation made in the CoJ under his leadership. It is sad that they are smearing the good name of the foundation which was established in the name of the late respected struggle hero, Ahmed Kathrada.
Al Jama-ah is questioning the funding of both OUTA and AKF that they receive from the Zionist-friendly European Union to undermine the CoJ’s mayorship.
They stubbornly oppose the Exec Mayor even though, he and his team ensured that the CoJ won the SALGA (South African Local Government Association) Gauteng Municipal Audit Award! Does this award not prove that CoJ under the Exec Mayor on the right path? For most of us, it does “because it spent 85% of the grants it received from the National Treasury during the 2022/23 financial year.”
It seems that for OUTA and AKF, this award is meaningless because they wish to attain their goal: that is, Exec Mayor Gwamanda should be out and be replaced by someone of their choice.
The defective cornerstone of this attack has been the newly introduced electricity surcharge for prepaid customers; an issue that OUTA and AKF deliberately choose to twist and convolute to suite their objectives and not that of the province’s citizens.
The electricity surcharge has been the outcome of various Council resolutions since 2018. It is intended to provide revenue to fund the City’s investment into new electricity infrastructure and for the maintenance of existing infrastructure. The same infrastructure that AKF has stated is ‘crumbling’.
Exec Mayor Gwamanda has repeatedly indicated that the new electricity surcharge is a necessary intervention to create fairness and equality in the City’s tariffs regime. In consideration of the poor, the CoJ has split the residential prepaid tariff into Prepaid Low (indigent) and Prepaid High categories. This split cushions indigent customers from adverse tariff increases due to the current economic climate; and it allows the rest of the residential prepaid customers to start contributing to the fixed network operating and making an input towards the maintenance costs as is the case with postpaid customers.
Another misconception being peddled is the fact that the CoJ has been run into financial ruin under Gwamanda. The AKF and its cronies are being rather unfair about the truth in their summations regarding the City’s finances; their ways of arguing has been and continues to be misleading to say the least.
CoJ benefits from grants and subsidies from the national and provincial government; these entities play a crucial role in major projects that help to address socio-economic challenges. Moreover, the CoJ authorities leverage debt instruments such as the 2,5 billion rand that was supported and passed in council; and its purpose is to finance long-term capital projects. This diverse funding model is not new and has been part of the CoJ’s funding model over many years. This loan enables the CoJ to maintain and expand its services and infrastructure, despite the financial pressures posed by rapid urbanisation and socio-economic disparities.
During yesterday’s (30 July 2024) Council meeting, Gwamanda tabled reports that address the very issues he is being accused of ignoring; these included: CoJ’s Infrastructure Asset Management Improvement Programme that strategically addresses its critical infrastructure challenges; Outcomes-based Planning Reforms, Strategy-led Budgeting Reforms, Capital Delivery Improvements, Operations and Maintenance Improvements, and Cross-Cutting measures to enhance governance, delivery, and maintenance of infrastructure, maximizing value for residents and businesses.
Additionally, two critical turnaround strategies for City Power and Johannesburg Water are being tabled. While City Power’s comprehensive strategy includes seven key dimensions, ensuring a stronger and more efficient future, Johannesburg Water plan emphasizes five strategic shifts essential for service delivery and financial sustainability. All these are positive developments that have been and are seemingly if not deliberately ignored by AKF and other critics.
The Council further approved to increase the social package for indigent residents, ensuring greater access to essential services. Are these not healthy developments? Let it be stated that these reports reflect months of dedicated effort to not just address the city’s needs but to transform and nursing it back to a healthy state; this takes time and everyone should assist in looking at the positive outcomes instead of harping on negative notions that are perpetuated by AKF, OUTA and others.
For interviews contact:
Ms Sinazo Mtshengu
Cell: 078 512 3186