President Cyril Ramaphosa will head to Johannesburg this week as part of his ongoing tour of South Africa’s provinces, aimed at syncing up national and local plans to boost development and improve services. With residents facing power cuts, bumpy roads, and water shortages, many are looking forwards to his visit.
The national government shared details in a media advisory: “President Ramaphosa and the National Cabinet will on Thursday, 6 March 2025 visit the Gauteng Executive Council and the City of Johannesburg on Friday, 7 March 2025. The visit by the President and the national cabinet members is aimed at engaging with the province on its strategic development priorities”.
“This meeting is part of the President’s engagement with all provinces to ensure alignment on the 7th Administration’s Medium Term Development Plan. The Premier and Members of the Executive Council (MECs) will use the visit to update the President and Ministers on the plans of the Gauteng Provincial Government to improve service delivery in the province,” it added.
For Johannesburg, the timing could not be better. Local voices are calling for help with the city’s struggling infrastructure. Julia Fish, who manages JoburgCan, a group pushing for better city services, spoke to Newzroom Afrika about the challenges.
“The mandate of the municipality [is] to keep the lights on, to keep cars driving along very clean, well-maintained roads and to make sure that we have water coming out of our taps. That’s where we want the Presidency to intervene,” she said.
Fish explained that money meant for fixing roads, water pipes, and power lines has been spent elsewhere. “We’re struggling because there’s been a systemic shifting of money away from maintenance of infrastructure towards non-core functions of the city … be it cultural events or dealing with parks, stadiums and swimming pools,” she noted.
This has left essential services stretched thin.
Take Jo’burg Water, for example. Fish pointed out: “Instead of the R12 billion that Jo’burg Water brings in in terms of revenue, they’re only getting R1.2 billion redirected back to them. They need to actually cover about 8% of their entire asset value in maintenance.”
That gap means pipes keep breaking and taps sometimes run dry—problems residents know all too well.
Fish also hopes the President can sort out issues with city contracts and bring in private companies to help. “[We want the Presidency to] have a look at what’s happening with tender projects and facilitate a way for business and the private sector to step in and really work with the city to fill those funding gaps,” she said.
Johannesburg, the heartbeat of South Africa’s economy, has been under the spotlight lately. People are frustrated with unreliable electricity, potholes, and water troubles, often blaming poor planning and not enough funding. President Ramaphosa’s visit could be a turning point, offering a chance to align national support with the city’s needs.
