Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse says failure to pay for basic services will not be tolerated. Last week residents of Diepkloof in Soweto blocked the N-one and several other routes in protest over electricity cuts.
Phalatse says residents who cannot afford to pay for electricity will be registered as indigents in the City’s database. They can then access free basic electricity.
The Mayor insists that those who can – must pay for the services they use.
“There’s a lot of support for the hard-line that we have taken. That the culture of non-payment will no longer be accepted. It will only be understood by those who cannot afford but they also have a responsibility to register for ESP. And so, we will be continuing with that position. There is a lot of support from ratepayers from across the City who have been indirectly carrying these non-paying areas. Because each time they are subjected to tariff hikes… it is because there is a gap in the system. This is the most prudent and fairest approach as we rebuild our broke City,” says Mayor Mpho Phalatse.
10-member Mayoral Committee
Phalatse has also announced a ten-member Mayoral Committee to govern the City of Johannesburg. It’s made up of four Democratic Alliance (DA) members, three from Action SA, and one from the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), and one from the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
Former DA Finance MMC, Funzile Ngobeni, who quit the DA to join Herman Mashaba’s Action SA, has made a comeback as Transport MMC, while former Johannesburg Metro Police Chief David Tembe is now MMC for Public Safety. Phalatse believes the team is up to the task.
“Yes I am happy with the team that I ended up with…finally Johannesburg will get the best of the best and they are going to get what they deserve,” Mayor Phalatse adds.
