By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa continued his oversight meeting in Gauteng on Friday, 7 March, with the Provincial Executive.
Ramaphosa has conceded that Johannesburg, one of the cities in which he lives, is in decline – and he is not pleased.
He announced plans to offer presidential intervention to help the Johannesburg Metro reclaim its status.
To speed up service delivery, stabilise the city’s finances and operations, and promote economic growth and job creation, Ramaphosa said that the working group will be formed and involve all tiers of government and make use of the experience of important stakeholders.
Under the direct direction of the President’s Office, the presidential intervention in metropolitan areas was first tested in eThekwini, and plans are under way for comparable control in almost all other metros.
The working group was formed as a result of Ramaphosa pointing out that the problems that Johannesburg is currently facing are similar to those that other metro areas confront, including urban decay, water woes, poor service delivery and a pothole crisis.
A wide range of regional stakeholders, including members from the business community, labour unions, and civil society organisations, will back this project.
“We are proposing the establishment of the presidential Johannesburg working group. What this means is that the situation here in Johannesburg has led you to invite the president into your council chamber. I am now here.
“We are going to work together to rebuild Johannesburg and take it back to its glory days,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that the historic central area of Johannesburg has suffered from prolonged neglect and emphasised the urgent need for concerted efforts to transform it into a vibrant, livable, and safe environment for all residents.
Ramaphosa also said they can use new Expropriation Act to take abandoned buildings in cities’ central business districts without paying.
He said these abandoned and hijacked buildings could become investment vehicles where South Africans can be accommodated.
“These abandoned buildings, where the owners have run away, should be subjected to the law we have just passed, expropriation, even without compensation,” he said.
“These buildings should be taken and turned into living accommodation,” adding that this strategy aligns with the constitution and the Expropriation Act.
Ramaphosa did not provide details on what caused many buildings in the Johannesburg city centre to become abandoned or hijacked.
This is the first time Ramaphosa clearly stated that the Expropriation Act could be used to take properties other than land without compensation.
To date, many people have focused on the Expropriation Act’s use to take farms without paying market-related prices for them.
However, many experts warned that the law can be applied to any property, including buildings or companies.
Ramaphosa’s latest comments confirmed that the government intends to use the Act to take various properties, potentially without payment.
Mayor Dada Morero assured that his administration is committed to ensuring the president’s concerns are addressed and emphasised that his government will make every effort to prevent further disappointment regarding the city’s state.
The city failed to pass an urgent adjustment budget on 27 February, which would have allocated more money to failing infrastructure.