Cutting Edge | Service delivery in the City of Johannesburg

As South Africa heads towards the local government elections, Cutting Edge takes a closer look at the state of service delivery in the City of Johannesburg — and asks whether the city’s financial resources are translating into the services residents need. From informal settlements and townships to established suburbs, communities across Johannesburg are confronting many of the same challenges: unreliable water supplies, sewage flowing through streets, damaged infrastructure and long-standing maintenance problems. Residents say that even when problems are reported, their complaints often go unanswered. Billions of rands are allocated to municipalities each year for infrastructure and basic services. Yet on the ground, there remains a visible gap between what is budgeted and what communities experience. Cutting Edge examines Johannesburg’s finances, its infrastructure and maintenance backlog, and the challenges facing the city as it tries to keep pace with growing demand. Professor Zondi Mkhabela weighs in on the city’s finances and argues that integrated public-private partnerships may be needed to urgently tackle the infrastructure backlog. He also looks at the impact coalition politics can have on the ability of a city government to deliver services. For residents, these are not simply questions of budgets and political structures. They are daily realities that affect access to water, sanitation, housing and basic dignity. And with voter turnout already low in the previous local government elections, Cutting Edge asks whether growing frustration with service delivery could further influence residents’ willingness to participate in the upcoming polls. For more news, visit sabcnews.com and #SABCNews on all Social Media platforms.