Mayor Amad potentially incriminates himself on SABC TV regarding loan

In a recent interview, the Mayor of the puppet-led administration in the City of Johannesburg, Thapelo Amad, indicated his personal involvement in procuring a R9.5bn loan for the City. He has also indicated that it’s a done deal. We note his subsequent denial but his original statement must be taken at face value and must be investigated.

The Executive Mayor has no business getting involved in these kinds of administrative processes. This is criminal and requires investigation. The DA caucus in Johannesburg will ensure that this instance of corruption is uncovered and dealt with.

Section 160(2)(d) of the Constitution prohibits anyone being delegated the authority to commit Council to any loan. In this case, the Council has no knowledge of such a loan and the raising of this loan cannot bypass council processes.

The Executive Mayor is in way over his head and he should have allowed city officials to manage administrative processes in line with relevant legislation and the Constitution. He made his statement on the nation’s public broadcaster. At worst, he has potentially committed an act of crime, at best he is unfit to hold office.

In a further development, the Council has advertised for comment a loan of R1.83bn from an identified source. Again, should this be a done deal, the required processes have been bypassed. The DA will also demand an investigation into this matter.

When our Multi-Party Government was ousted in January, we were interrupted in the process of rebasing the budget. We had identified and were doing away with the fat, and making the City’s budgets more realistic given the current economic climate.

This type of loan is thus an unnecessary burden on Johannesburg ratepayers, who unacceptably have not yet even been consulted on this. Instead of borrowing more money we should cut back on unnecessary expenditure.

The DA will urgently initiate and support legal, reasonable, and democratic efforts to hold this out-of-his-depth ANC-EFF puppet Executive Mayor accountable. The residents of Johannesburg deserve prudent, competent, and honest government. And the DA will deliver this.

New Joburg administration victimises corruption busters

The DA has learned on good authority that the puppet-led administration in Joburg is purging key officials that reported on allegations of maladministration and corruption.

The methods used to clamp down corruption busting include suspensions, laying of charges and threats of demanding personal payment of monies falsely described as fruitless and wasteful.

The war against innocent officials is too ghastly to be described as vindictive. One official has described it as “a nightmare” another called it “a madhouse”. In the process, hardworking officials of high integrity that previously worked under people like the former head of GFIS, General Shadrack Sibiya have been subjected to inhumane treatment and stress.

All this is being done with the intention of overturning investigations against senior officials.

Cllr Mpho Phalatse said, “honest City staff members are under siege.” The DA demands that the new Mayor must bring Floyd Brink and his cronies to heel.

“But we have no confidence that the Mayor nor his ANC masters will stop the purge. Accordingly, we are seeking assistance from outside the City. There are organizations that actively assist whistleblowers. It is to these allies we will turn. We will also engage other government agencies. We will not be bullied”, said Councillor Phalatse.

DA rejects Joburg Speaker’s witch hunt with the contempt it deserves

The DA has noted the drawn-out statement released by the Speaker of the Joburg Council, Cllr Colleen Makhubele, in which she attacks the multi-party coalition and myself and Leah Knott in particular.

This statement is regarding the move to install the disgraced Floyd Brink as City Manager despite the Council approving that he was not up to the task and that the recruitment process be started afresh.

It is once again very clear that the Speaker and her allies in the Executive are willing to use any means possible to turn the City into one that services the narrow interests of a particular political clique, instead of the service delivery needs of its 6 million residents.

It is ironic that Cllr Makhubele is targeting DA councillors for the result of a process that she herself, as part of the multi-party coalition, was part of, approving every step along the process.

The attack on DA councillors is not only misguided and devoid of substance but it is highly insulting and borders on defamatory.

It is abundantly clear that the Speaker and her allies have no interest in combatting corruption nor are they committed to the service delivery needs of the City and its residents.

The DA will not allow the Council to be turned into a weapon used to undermine dissenting voices, especially when those voices seek to ensure that the Council is not found wanting, as was the case when the Multi-Party Government was illegally removed.

The devious actions of the Speaker and her allies seek to distract residents from the already visible and detrimental failings of Executive Mayor, Cllr Thapelo Amad, and his Mayoral Committee.

We will not stand by and allow the Speaker to weave a false narrative in the public arena to discredit or undermine DA councillors whose only actions have been to act in the best interests of the residents of the city, not the narrow self-serving interests of the coalition of corruption.

DA to embark on a fact-finding mission at Eikenhof water reservoir

Tomorrow, Tuesday, 24 October 2022, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Provincial Leader, Solly Msimanga MPL and the DA Leader of the Johannesburg Caucus, Cllr Mpho Phalatse, will conduct an oversight inspection of the Eikenhof and Hursthill reservoir.

During the oversight inspection, we will be assessing the current state of the Rand Water Eikenhof water reservoir. For the last few weeks, Gauteng residents have had to endure very low water pressure and at times no water.

It is time that Rand Water comes clean about the real reasons why our residents in this province have had their human rights infringed upon.

Access to water is a basic human right and currently, our residents are being denied this right.

Furthermore, the ongoing issues with the supply of water will ultimately impact our water infrastructure. Continued water pressure is needed to ensure that raw sewage is pushed through the water pipelines and into wastewater treatment plants. If there is not sufficient water pressure in the pipes, this will lead to a build-up and could cause sewage leaks and burst pipes.

Details of the oversight inspection are as follows:
Oversight 1
Date: 25 October 2022
Time: 12pm
Address: Eikenhof Water Reservoir

Oversight 2
Date: 25 October 2022
Time: 1:30pm
Address: Hursthill Water Reservoir

The DA congratulates Mayor Phalatse on 105 newly refurbished buses to improve commuting for Johannesburg residents

The DA congratulates Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Mpho Phalatse on the 105 newly refurbished buses as well as the launch of the Mid-life Refurbishment Program to improve commuting for Johannesburg residents.

 

The City of Johannesburg appreciates that Metrobus is an integral part of the Integrated Public Transport Network in the city, moving over 20 000 commuters daily. The newly refurbished buses will enhance daily bus availability as the demand for public transport increases, due to the ever-increasing petrol price.

 

This increased fleet capacity for the purposes of improved transport services was achieved through the refurbishment of the entire bus drive train, flooring and renewal of floors and seating. These refurbished buses are being deployed mainly in high traffic routes to improve bus intervals during morning and afternoon peaks.

 

The bus refurbishment involves the following:

  • Body overhaul, i.e. interior and exterior overhauling;
  • Drive train overhaul, i.e. engine, gearbox and differential overhaul;
  • Safety components overhaul, i.e. the air system, breaking system and engine compartment rewiring;
  • This refurbishment will decrease downtime for minor running repairs, prevent major component failures costs as well as increase overall bus reliability for the next 5-7 years;
  • It will also reduce maintenance costs of the vehicle, because the servicing and maintenance will be carried out according to the new bus schedule indicated above; and
  • Also refurbishing the Euro5 buses now will give Metrobus the opportunity to replace the faulty fuel plastic tanks to stronger aluminium tanks which will increase the life span.

 

Through this initiative the City of Johannesburg seeks to maintain a high standard of quality in service and performance is of paramount importance to encourage people to make public transport their preferred choice.

 

The extent to which people are able to use the opportunities available is dependent on how easily they are able to move around their towns, their cities and their country. The DA will continue to work to create a seamless, well managed and affordable transport network.

The City of Gold has found its shine again

Note to Editors: The following speech was delivered this evening by the newly elected Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Phalatse.

Mr Speaker,
Leaders of Political Parties represented in this Council,
Honourable Members of Council; and,
The people of Johannesburg!

I would firstly like to thank God, without whom none of this would have been possible. I started this journey with Him.

It is through His help that we have made it this far, and it is with His wisdom and guidance that we will rally all 270 councillors in the Johannesburg City Council towards rebuilding our broken city. To Him be the glory!

I would like to thank the leadership of the Democratic Alliance for having faith in me and standing behind me to lead the economic hub of South Africa and the continent for the next five years.

To all the councillors who voted for me – our Council is clearly more united than we realise. We may not have found each other around negotiating tables, but we evidently remain bound by our common mission even beyond our ability to formalise those ties.

Thank you for putting your trust in me. I had worked well with all 11 political parties when I served as the MMC for Health and Social Development from 2016 to 2019. The same attitude and disposition will be translated to the now 18 political parties in the current political term. Re tlile go aga mmogo.

To my mom and dad, my children Phenyo, Thapelo and Khumo – you have made numerous sacrifices to support my vision for Johannesburg. I am eternally grateful, and I promise to make your gift to me and to our residents count in no small measure.

To my colleagues, friends, and those who unfailingly pray for me – your support on this journey has been invaluable. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude.

May you continue to hold my hand and hold the fort in the areas I need you to. It is going to be a challenging but exciting five years, and with your continued support we will have many more celebratory milestones.

It would be completely remiss of me if I were to fail to express my sincerest thank you to the people of this great City for their determination in keeping our constitutional democracy alive and well by coming out to vote for the political parties of their choice in the 2021 local government elections on November 1.

The occasion of my election as the first democratically elected female Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg belongs to the residents who stood in long lines for hours and refused never to give up, even as they experienced countless electoral challenges, and despite the pouring rains in some areas.

In addition, an even more important message to the women of this Council and the women of this City.

You have a voice. And you must never EVER hesitate in using it. Do not wait for something to come along. Put up your hand now and avail yourself for something.

Just imagine what could be happening today if I had not put up my hand over a year ago and decided to be my party’s Mayoral Candidate. We possibly would not be having the first female Mayor of the City of Johannesburg standing before all of you here today.

I also want to thank all individual councillors and their political parties who, in their wisdom, decided that I should be their Executive Mayor.

We all know this has not been a smooth ride. The road was visibly riddled with potholes, and, at times, it seemed completely untraversable. But we put the interests of the people of this City ahead of our own.

I am under no illusion that it would be easy to bring together all the political players in this esteemed Council. But I also know that all the elected Councillors in this house are only seeking to do the best they can for those who elected them. With their unwavering support, I know we can, and will, take this City to even greater heights.

We have demonstrated that a people united can indeed never be defeated. We have shown that it is possible to unite behind our primary mission of delivering good quality municipal services to all communities around the City in a sustainable manner, just as the provisions of section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, dictate.

During the campaign, I spent many hours in every corner of Johannesburg, listening to what residents had to say and what they wanted changed.

Residents were not just asking for change; they were roaring for it.

That is why I intend, in the next few days, to have fuller consultative sessions with all political parties represented in Council to solicit their inputs on our Plan for the First 100 Days in office to make it as inclusive as possible.

This plan shall be made public to enable the people of Johannesburg to track our performance and to hold us to account, as they should in an open and democratic society.

The election is over, and the work of serving the people of Joburg must begin.

Regardless of political party, every councillor here has a responsibility to ensure this term is not characterised by instability and chaos. The City of Johannesburg BARELY survived the past 5 years and does not deserve a repeat of that ugly episode.

Every party and councillor within this Council can play a part in rebuilding Johannesburg. You do not need to be in government to help make a difference. Even as an opposition councillor, you have a voice in committee and Council. You can engage your political counterparts in office to discuss basic service delivery needs and the means to achieve them.

I am reminded of the political maturity of the late Mayor of Johannesburg – a friend to many of us here, including myself. Jolidee Matongo was always willing to listen to the inputs of opposition councillors in committee and go so far as to agree with their views, once he had determined in his mind that such views made sense.

Even during his short stint as Mayor, he was willing to take my calls relating to critical service delivery matters and would personally follow up on them.

So, when I say that the elections are over, I mean it. We have no need to continue with any electioneering in this Council over the next five years. Ours is to ensure that basic services are sustainably and consistently delivered to the residents.

The voters made their voice loud and clear in these recent elections. We are all aware that no party got a majority in this Council. That means no single party can govern alone on the mandate of the people.

Even if this will be a DA-led coalition government, we would still warmly welcome colleagues from opposition parties to engage us in the next few weeks. Give us your constructive inputs on service delivery matters that we can pursue in the coming months. Share with us your ideas to bring positive change in the community you will be working in.

Every corner of Johannesburg needs leadership, and every councillor here can be that leader. But do not stop there. Let us keep those channels of communication open throughout these five years, regardless of which party is in government.

We have the political will to come together, to represent every constituent of this great Metro, and be the country’s beacon of multi-party, representative democracy.

We are all elected members of this Council and have a chance to be a part of the renewal of our great City.

We are all aware the state that Johannesburg now finds itself in.

It is broken, but it can and will be fixed again.

The most basic services must be restored to those who have gone without them.

Whether a resident is from Diepsloot or Norwood,

Linden or South Hills,

Roodepoort or Braamfontein,

Melville or Morningside,

Alex or Parktown,

I want every resident to be proud of living in the City of Gold that will find its shine again.

It is after all, the biggest metro in South Africa. That alone should make us immensely proud to call this City our home.

While Nelson Mandela Bay has the sandy beaches, Cape Town the majestic mountains, and Durban with the never-ending tropical summers, Johannesburg has the Sandton and Hillbrow skyscrapers – the very beacons that signal and confirm that this is truly the economic hub of the Republic.

Johannesburg is an important City for our country, and one that can lead the much-needed economic recovery for the people, after so much suffering during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

From the rock bottom of my heart, a big thank you for the opportunity to serve the people of Johannesburg. I know the challenges ahead seem insurmountable. But I promise to give this mammoth responsibility my all from this day onwards. With your continued support, I know we shall neither falter nor fail.

I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me. It is my undertaking that I shall never disappoint any of you.

Ke a leboga!!
Ngiyabonga!!
Baie dankie!!

A vote for ActionSA may well be a vote for the EFF

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites by Thomas Walters; DA Johannesburg Mayoral Campaign Manager, Mike Moriarty; and DA Mayoral Candidate for Johannesburg, Dr Mpho Phalatse.

The DA has made it abundantly clear that it will not enter into a coalition or governing agreement with the EFF in any municipality. We are fundamentally two completely different parties, which are moving in completely different directions.

The DA is a party with a track record of excellence in service delivery and getting things done where we govern. While the EFF is a party of anarchy, violence and chaos.

While the DA will not, under any circumstances, cooperate with the EFF post-elections – we must warn voters that by voting for ActionSA they could well be opening the backdoor for the EFF in municipalities and metros across the country.

The DA can today reveal that ActionSA has a host of ex-DA members who have colluded with the EFF in the past and who could most certainly not hesitate to get into bed with the EFF despite the mandate they received from their voters.

Hermann Mashaba recently said that he would not go into coalitions without first consulting the voters. However, the DA can today tell voters that in 2017 Mashaba, as a DA member, used his position as Johannesburg Mayor to lobby for the EFF to be given the mayorship of Metsimaholo. He proposed giving away a municipality to the red berets to manage in exchange for support somewhere else. It must be noted here that the DA did not bend to his will, and eventually he left.

The DA is not in the business of releasing its internal information, but we have a redacted version of a letter – in which Mr Mashaba says to the DA Federal Executive (FedEx):

  • “Whether we like it or not, the EFF is a strategic partner of the DA to save SA. We can’t do it on our own. Clear FACT.” – Mr Mashaba clearly sees the EFF as a partner, not a danger to the future of South Africa. EFF policies would take SA down the road to ruin, but Mr Mashaba sees them as a partner;
  • “My personal view is that if we don’t support them in this matter, I then don’t see why they must support us somewhere else. We would have demonstrated to them and some people of this country that we are an arrogant party that does not respect other political parties. It would be about narrow DA principles.” – Mr Mashaba here clearly does not think that DA principles such as the rule of law or the protection of private property matters. Furthermore, it shows his willingness to do whatever it takes to be in the good books of the EFF;
  • “I would like to close by appealing to us to use this EFF arrangement in Metsimaholo, to strengthen our relationship with them and our other coalition partners. EFF is going to rely on us to assist them to succeed.” – Mr Mashaba clearly articulates his desire to see the EFF succeed, while the DA wants the EFF to fail so South Africa can succeed.

For his part, ActionSA’s John Moodey, while still at the DA in 2019, tried to convince the DA FedEx to give the EFF two senior positions within the Johannesburg government. To quote the minutes of that meeting, “The Gauteng leader, Mr John Moodey, proposed that the Party offer the EFF two positions on the mayoral committee and noted that it is unlikely that voters will notice or remember said appointments as MMCs are not well known.” The DA did not bend to his will, and he left to join ActionSA.

From these excerpts it is clear that the ActionSA leadership believe that the EFF is a crucial partner in the future of South Africa. The DA believes that voters have the right to know if the party they are voting for will allow their vote to push the EFF into positions where they will govern.

Why does that matter? Because the EFF is a threat to the future of South Africa. The EFF would much rather see our country divided along racial prisms for their own narrow political outcomes. The EFF thrives on violence and chaos. It is a party that wants control and expropriate the property and possessions of South Africans. And they want to come for South Africans’ pensions, medical aids and investments.

This is the type of party that ActionSA may be willing to get into bed with. A vote for ActionSA may well be a vote for the EFF.

The DA calls on voters to use their power on 1 November to vote for a party that will protect their property rights, and defend the Constitution, the rule of law and a free market. There’s only one party that is big enough to take on the ANC and keep the EFF out and that party is the DA.

DA-governed Johannesburg will switch off power to e-Toll gantries

Note to Editors: The following remarks were made today at a media briefing by DA Mayoral Candidate for Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Phalatse.

Any Mayor of a municipality has a responsibility to protect their residents, especially when it comes to their interests of basic service delivery. It is evident that a Mayor like Mpho Moerane, who was caught out lying this past weekend about Johannesburg residents being protected from loadshedding, is not in the business of being a responsible Mayor.

Should I be elected to serve as Mayor of Johannesburg after these elections, I intend on being a responsible Mayor for the residents by ensuring effective service delivery.

The DA has been informed that the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), the custodian of the e-Tolls system and their gantries across the province, are currently in arrears with City Power.

Where gantries exist in City Power supply areas, City Power is currently supplying them with electricity. In a normal circumstance, SANRAL should be paying the bills for this service.

But with SANRAL in arrears, it means the City of Johannesburg is not receiving revenue for this service, and the cost to keep these gantries on is being footed to the residents of Johannesburg.

Should the DA be elected to govern Johannesburg, we will switch off the electricity supply to e-Toll gantries in City Power supply areas such as on William Nicol Drive and in Rivonia, effectively collapsing the e-Toll system in strategic nodes, based on non-payment by SANRAL. We cannot allow the residents of Johannesburg to suffer any further from a shortage of services, because national government is failing to take responsibility and pay their bills.

It is unfair for local governments to bail out national government at the expense of service delivery. The non-payment by SANRAL shortchanges City Power with much needed revenue to fix ageing and broken down infrastructure. With less revenue, it is the residents of Johannesburg who suffer outages that last up to weeks because City Power does not have enough funding to clear their own infrastructure backlog. This lost revenue could have also been directed towards procurement of electricity from independent power producers to start freeing residents from loadshedding.

Currently, Joburg residents are not getting value for money for services. Despite some residents dutifully paying their rates and levies, there are constant power outages across the City. As Mayor, I will have the responsibility to ensure that basic services are delivered, and all municipal funds are used responsibly.

Municipalities get their revenue from various sources including, rates and levies, division of revenue, and grants from other tiers of government. However, when a municipality does not get revenue from these sources, it has a terribly negative effect on service delivery – especially because municipalities plan budgets based on what sources of revenue they anticipate to receive.

In many instances such as in the case of SANRAL, national and provincial government utilise services provided by the City of Johannesburg like electricity and water. Whether these are government departments or entities, they are expected to pay their rates and levies for any services used.

Therefore, we will not stop at SANRAL. A DA-led Johannesburg will clamp down on the culture of non-payment across all services, for any provincial or national departments, entities, and companies that are in debt to the City. Revenue is the lifeblood of basic service delivery, and we will not allow the residents to suffer anymore.

The revenue that belongs to the City of Johannesburg must be paid to the City of Johannesburg. Service delivery must be restored. It is only a DA government that will get things done in the City of Gold.

DA calls on Mayor Moerane to resign after Eskom and City Power expose him as a liar

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg notes the stunning turn of events where City Power and Eskom have smacked down Mayor Mpho Moerane’s misleading lies, and have exposed him as a political gimmick, after this morning’s sudden announcement that City customers will no longer be protected from loadshedding.

Following Eskom’s implementation of stage 2 loadshedding last week, Moerane stated that the City of Johannesburg rejected loadshedding, claiming that City Power had the capacity to protect residents from stages 1 and 2. This was very shortly followed by City Power announcing the Joburg loadshedding schedule, only to then retract and state that City customers would be protected from loadshedding. Despite this, residents across the City were still switched off according to the schedule.

This was absolutely nothing more than a cheap, shallow and inconsiderate election stunt by the ANC. In a media statement yesterday, I exposed this lie and laid bare the facts of how it was impossible for City Power to offset loadshedding using additional supply from the Kelvin Power Station.

The confusion around whether residents would experience loadshedding or not, was unnecessary and selfish. This once again proves the ANC’s inability to govern effectively, and rely only on blatant election lies as a last ditch effort to win votes.

The DA calls on Mayor Moerane to resign for this terrible failure of responsible leadership. This is not a man worthy of the role of Mayor.

A DA-led Johannesburg will resolve billing queries within seven days

Today, I led a march to the City’s Billing Department at Thuso House in Braamfontein, where I handed over a petition signed by over 3000 residents calling for the failing billing system to be resolved, to the MMC for Finance, Cllr Matshidiso Mfikoe. See pictures here, here, here and here.

For many years, the City of Johannesburg’s billing system has been plagued by countless shortcomings and failures. Many residents have received incorrectly bloated bills while having to wait years for their accounts to be adjusted. On the other hand, while some residents continue to pay their bills, they simply do not get value for money, with constant water and electrical outages across the city.

The culture of non-payment has also been a hurdle for the billing department. Revenue collection for any municipality is critical to fund much-needed basic services. Some residents have simply refused to pay for their rates and levies out of protest against a failing billing system that creates a further burden for them.

With less revenue collection, rates and levies are becoming more expensive to compensate for the loss, adding further pressure to a shrinking ratepayers base.

Increased rates also place further pressure on struggling businesses. While they pay their rates, they too face outages or shortages of basic services, putting their economic survival at further risk. This can only lead to the decline of the business, and resulting in unnecessary job losses.

The administrative malfunction of the City’s billing system is the catalyst of other service delivery failures across Johannesburg. The domino effect is felt by residents and businesses. The weak cybersecurity of the billing department is also of great concern, with the system remaining vulnerable to any future attacks.

With the right leadership and political will, Johannesburg can work for the residents. The recent past has shown that the ANC has neither while the DA certainly has both. The ANC has shown time and time gain that under its watch, residents are destined for little more than frustration and failed systems.

A DA governed Johannesburg on the other hand will fix the City’s billing system once and for all. Increased oversight over revenue collection will be implemented, so that the culture of non-payment is eradicated, and that more revenue is allocated to basic services so that residents can finally get value for money. The DA-led Johannesburg will also ensure that all billing queries are resolved within seven days, so that residents no longer have to deal with an unnecessary, stressful, administrative delay that is of no fault of their own.

The DA will get things done in the City of Gold.