Joburg residents, with the Joburg Crises Alliance (JCA), flocked to the Metro Centre picketing for the removal of City of Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, and against the electricity surcharge in Braamfontein, on Saturday.
The JCA is a broad coalition of civic organisations including the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, the Rivonia Circle, Action for Accountability and Defend our Democracy.
Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage, told “Newzroom Afrika” that the city has been in shambles since Gwamanda was made mayor, with service delivery woes, and constant power and water outages.
He further demanded for the mayoral committee and city manager, Floyd Brinks, to be ousted.
“He, Gwamanda, must be replaced with someone who has leadership skills and the competence to get the vision of the city across to the people to work with civil society and communities and fix the city. We need strong good leadership to fix Joburg.
“We need to remove his committee and in fact, the city manager. They (committee) are dealing with removing illegal connections of electricity; water is an issue. It is a multifaceted issue. So, we need city management that is competent,” said Duvenage.
Political parties, such as Build One South Africa (Bosa) and RISE Mzansi, also, joined the picketers, demanding the mayor’s resignation.
Bosa member of the provincial legislature, Ayanda Allie, said the Joburg municipality is stealing from residents, especially the poor, as residents must pay hefty amounts for tariff increases.
Although Bosa does not have a seat in local government, Allie said they were not present as politicians, but in support of residents and civic organisations because the surcharge will financially cripple the indigent.
“As Bosa, we are partnering with the JCA. We are not here as politicians, but look out for us in 2026 local government elections. The R200 surcharge is unaffordable. The City of Joburg did not consult reasonably enough about the ramifications and implications of the surcharge.
“The poor will not be exempt from the surcharge. The indigent registry is a mess. Those who are not in the registry, the vast majority of them, are not there. So, they will be punished and have to pay for high electricity charges. As Bosa, we will not stand for this. The city is stealing from the poor,” said Allie.
RISE Mzansi senior executive member, Irfaan Mangera, pledged solidarity with the JCA, demanding that local government officials to be held accountable for mishaps and delayed service delivery in the city.
“We, RISE Mzansi, support the Joburg Crises Alliance in taking back the people's power and ensuring we fight for a city that works for all its citizens,” said Mangera.
During he picket, civic organisations handed a memorandum to City of Joburg’s Speaker, Margaret Arnolds.
Arnolds told scores of protesters that she would revert back to civic organisations within 50 days, after governmental protocol had been followed.
The Star