Morero’s vision to make Johannesburg a world-class African city

With just a few months left as mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero said he has plans to make the city of gold the best on the continent.

Morero delivered his maiden state of the city address (SOCA) on Wednesday at the Connie Bapela council chambers in Braamfontein.

Before outlining his priorities, Morero admitted that the city is in a poor state and much has to be done to correct this.

“Our challenges are complex, and we do not have infinite resources alone we will nor solve these challenges. For instance, the city is not financially stable, infrastructure is decaying and service delivery backlogs have reversed the gains we have made.

“Covid-19 alone has set us back by 10 years. As we stand here before you, the uppermost in our minds and driving our actions is to go back to the starting gates of our founding mayors.”

Power generation

Morero said one of the ways of improving service delivery is to move away from relying solely on Eskom for generating electricity.

He said the city should implement its energy sustainability strategy, which aims to ensure the delivery of conventional power and integrate new energy storage facilities.

“The big idea is to reduce our reliance generation capacity from Eskom. This new energy mix is designed to release the pressure on Eskom,” he said.

Townships

Morero said another priority was giving the City’s townships a facelift through infrastructure investment.  

He said he wants to transform these settlements into liveable, connected, and economically viable communities.

Inner city rejuvenation

He said he also had plans to ensure that the inner City of Johannesburg becomes the economic epicentre of the entire province.

Many big corporations have moved their businesses out of the inner city because of high levels of crime.

“This cross-cutting initiative is aimed at upgrading bulk infrastructure, refurbish abandoned buildings, installing safe public lighting and restore dignity to the heart of the city.

“The city is being repositioned as the economic epicentre of the Gauteng City region. We are reclaiming the inner city. The reclaim of the inner city has become personal,” he said.

Electrifying informal settlements

Morero said the city had invested a substantial amount of money through City Power in electrifying informal settlements.

“The electrification of informal settlements remains a top priority with a R296 million allocation focused on connecting to the grid areas such as Diepsloot. Orange Farm, Ivory-Park and Kya Sands,” he said.

Water challenges

The city has been having water challenges, which sometimes lead to many residents struggling to get a drop of water from their taps.

However, Morero said the city has invested enough capital in ensuring that the city is water secure.

“Building resilience and reliability of water security through Joburg water, which commands the largest average capital allocation, this programme is delivering a series of large-scale interventions aimed at securing Joburg’s water future,” he said.

Roads and Transport

He said the city is tackling frustrating problems such as potholes and dysfunctional robots. He also committed that phase one of the repair of Bree Street (Lillian Ngoyi) will be completed by August this year.

Morero said the city is committed to fighting crime through technology.

Crime and disaster management

He said the Integrated Intelligence Operating Centre (IIOC) will receive investment to boost the city’s crime fighting and disaster management abilities.

“The upgraded IIOC supports smart surveillance data analytics and multi-agency coordination in responding to public safety threats,” he said.

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Tariffs

Morero said the city is aware of the high electricity tariffs that customers are paying, especially industrial customers.

 “These customers are major employers in our city, and we need to support them so they can be sustainable and financially viable.

“Through City Power, we will provide a relief tariff option to our industrial customers.”

G20 summit

He said the city will ensure that it is ready to host heads of state and other dignitaries who will arrive later this year for the G20 summit.  

“Rest assured, once again, we will work hard to unite as the residents of Johannesburg and work together to make our guests feel at home,” he said.

Vision for Johannesburg

Morero understood the city’s challenges, but is committed to keeping the vision of making Johannesburg a city of winners.

“The long-term vision is to be indeed a world African city. For today, we need a vision that symbolises a Johannesburg we want to see. Let us adopt a vision that is centred on creating a winning city,” he said.

He encouraged residents to pay their rates and manage their accounts to ensure that the city collects enough revenue.

“The city’s financial position remains fragile, and it calls for a major reset in our financial management and revenue generation activities,” he said.

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