You don't need a summit to clean up

The people of Johannesburg have cried many tears over the past decade and become accustomed to temporary service delivery 'solutions'

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Deputy Communications & Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele tweeted in October: His worship Mayor Dada Morero seems to have been moved by the genuine cries of the people of City of jo'burg. He is now sleeping and breathing actions everyday. We wish him and the entire collective of the City to stay the course, because that is what people of JOZI deserve.

The official City of Johannesburg X account replied to the tweet with a salute emoji — as if in agreement.

But any Joburger knows the only reason for this sudden lastminute.com cleanup is the upcoming G20 summit and next year’s local government elections next year. The X post reads like a favour being done for residents — when really, it’s an attempt to impress our international guests while gaslighting the locals who've been living in dysfunction for years.

And then there’s the irony. The deputy minister essentially admits that His Worship, Mayor Morero, was “moved by the cries of the people” — implying that before now, those cries weren’t worth much attention.

The people of Johannesburg have cried so many tears over the past decade that they could fix their own water issues by now. We've become so accustomed to temporary service delivery “solutions” that when the City slaps a Band-Aid over a gaping wound to look presentable for a summit, it’s not just lazy — it’s insulting. We all know it’s temporary, but the resilient South African within us prays that it’s not.

The real tragedy of this “cleanup campaign” theatre is that the formula for urban revival and attracting investment isn’t complicated.

A clean, functioning city with reliable infrastructure attracts investment. It’s that simple.