By Thapelo Molefe
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and place the City of Johannesburg under financial administration, citing worsening service delivery failures and financial mismanagement.
In a statement issued on Thursday, DA Gauteng caucus leader Solly Msimanga said residents had suffered enough from what he described as maladministration and the collapse of basic services in the city.
“The Democratic Alliance Gauteng is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and ensure that the City of Johannesburg is placed under financial administration to save residents who have suffered enough from a lack of service delivery resulting from financial mismanagement and maladministration,” Msimanga said.
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The DA said it had repeatedly warned about the city’s deteriorating financial and governance position since last year, after Ramaphosa visited Johannesburg and announced plans for a presidential working group aimed at addressing the city’s infrastructure challenges.
According to Msimanga, there has been little progress since the intervention was announced.
“However, there is nothing to show for his interventions, as the city is broke and service delivery has collapsed,” he said.
The DA also referred to a recent letter by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, warning about alleged violations of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Msimanga said the minister’s concerns echoed issues the DA had previously raised in its open letter to the president and in its Joburg Rescue Plan document.
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“The National Minister of Finance states that the City of Johannesburg has seriously violated various legislative and regulatory compliance requirements under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). This indicates a deterioration in the city’s governance and overall financial health,” he said.
The DA said placing Johannesburg under financial administration would allow administrators to assess the city’s finances, identify funding gaps and redirect resources towards service delivery.
“If this is not done immediately, the residents in the City of Johannesburg will continue to experience a decline in service delivery in the province,” Msimanga warned.
He added that a DA-led provincial government would immediately intervene to ensure that funds allocated for service delivery were properly managed.
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