G20 Summit showcase leaves Ward 109 behind, says councillor Lori Coogan
While Johannesburg shone for the G20 Summit, Ward 109 residents say they were left in the dark, literally and figuratively, as critical services were halted and roads unnecessarily closed.
The G20 Summit may have placed Johannesburg on the international stage, but according to Ward 109 residents and their councillor, Lori Coogan, the city’s preparations came with heavy local consequences.
According to Coogan, in the weeks leading up to the high-profile event held at Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 23 to 24, multiple city departments temporarily withdrew routine urban management services from Ward 109.
Read more: Sandton Central poised for major boost as G20 delegates meet
Everything from grass cutting to reinstatements was suspended, with residents told that only emergencies would receive attention until the summit concluded.
Yet on Marlboro Drive, a key corridor for G20 motorcades, the change was striking. “The sudden transformation was impossible to ignore,” Coogan said. “Trees trimmed, verges manicured, streetlights repaired, all done at a speed we never see in our communities unless cameras are rolling and dignitaries are watching.”
For many locals, the contrast was infuriating. They questioned why the city can deliver swift, high-quality service when the world is watching, but not when ratepayers need it.
Coogan added that public anger deepened when several Sandton arterials remained shut well beyond the officially published times.
“Although notices indicated closures from 4:00 to 10:00, many residents found that roads like South Road, Katherine Street and Grayston Drive remained closed for up to two hours longer on November 22, despite G20 delegates being based in Nasrec, kilometres away.
“The very same residents who fund the city that sidelined them were trapped in their own suburbs.”
Also read: Africa’s G20 presidency champions real action for women’s economic empowerment
Now that the summit has concluded, Coogan is left wondering what the long-term fallout will be.
With tight municipal budgets already under strain, Coogan fears that the resources channelled into G20 corridors may leave service delivery in her ward underfunded for the rest of the year.
“Now, with the summit over, questions remain. Will the resources poured into G20 corridors drain already strained service delivery budgets for the rest of the year? Will residents be forced to wait until July’s new financial cycle before important service delivery issues are addressed?”
To many in Ward 109, the G20 served as a revealing litmus test of the city’s priorities: polished streets for foreign guests, neglected suburbs for its own citizens.
Coogan hopes that with the global spotlight gone, the city will now return its focus to the people who live and work in these communities every day.
“Our residents deserved better,” she concluded. “The G20 is over, now it’s time for the city to get back to serving its people, not just those passing through.”
Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!
