Joburg Crisis Alliance hosts fourth summit
The political parties present had their say about the condition of the affairs in the City of Johannesburg.
On April 20, the Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA), convened by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Action for Accountability (A4A), Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), Defend Our Democracy (DOD) and the Johannesburg Inner-City Partnership (JICP), held its fourth summit at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre.
This comes against the backdrop of persistent service delivery challenges, including power cuts, suspect billing practices by City Power, escalating municipal rates, frequent, corruption allegations and revolving poor leadership.
The summit was attended by representatives of various resident associations and residents of the city.
The event was a multiparty event where four political parties in the city council were invited to engage with city residents about the declining state of the city and the water crisis. In attendance was Clr Dada Morero (ANC), Clr Belinda Kayser Echeozonjoku (DA) and Nobuhle Mthembu (ActionSA).
The discussion was facilitated by Dr Sithembile Mbete. To kickstart the event, Yunus Chamda, who is the programme manager for Action for Accountability Project, gave an outline of what led to the formation of the JCA and the work that it has done since its inception.
“The repeated changes of leadership were the trigger that got people asking what is going on in the city. This got a group of concerned residents and organisations together to express themselves about how they are experiencing the problems in the city. This led to the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation convened the first summit on July 7, 2023,” said Chamda.
After the welcoming of guests by the programme director, Ishmael Mkhabela, Dr Mbete jumped into the discussion with the two political parties that were present at the beginning of the discussion. with ActionSA joining the discussion later.
In her opening remarks, Dr Mbete said: “This kind of meeting we are having is meant to be the norm and not the exception. It’s meant to be a routine part of engagement and part of the work of councillors that serve us here. It should not be something that only happens in times of crisis but happens all the time in the normal course of work.”
Later in the programme, Dr Ferial Adam of WaterCAN presented insights into the water crisis in Johannesburg, emphasizing the importance of water security strategies and civic co-governance in addressing this critical issue.
In conclusion, the programme director Ishmael Mkhabela concluded the summit by reaffirming the organisers’ dedication to transforming discussions and resolutions into tangible benefits for all Johannesburg residents.
He urged residents and businesses across the city to engage with the JCA by exploring the various membership categories, actively participating, and helping bring the JCA’s vision of a functioning Joburg Metro with a sustained active citizenry to fruition.
