Can City of Gold Shine Again?

G20 RUSH: OFFICIALS HARD AT WORK CLEANING UP CITY

- Jarryd Westerdale

The hands jostling for control of the levers of power are in a race against time to polish South Africa's economic crown jewel.

Government has set itself a November deadline to whip the city into presentable shape as Johannesburg hosts the G20 summit next summer.

The intervening nine months could also double as the first leg of the campaign tour before next year's local government elections.

Mayor Dada Morero and his departments have been hard at work cleaning the city, layer by dirt-covered layer.

To emphasise the urgency of the task, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the Joburg council this month and announced the formation of a presidential working group committee.

"This would bring in all levels of government and the expertise of our stakeholders to accelerate service delivery, stabilise the city's finances and operations and enable economic growth and job creation," said Ramaphosa.

But the DA has questioned the effectiveness of the task team to achieve tangible results, believing factionalism, a cadre deployment network and political interests at local and provincial level are the stumbling block.