Is Joburg losing its shine

WEAK LINK IN THE CHAIN: 'LIVEABILITY' OF A CITY IS CRUCIAL, SAYS EXPERT

- Emily Wellman Bain

Looking at the state of the City of Joburg, comments made by Tracy Ledger from the Public Affairs Research Institute made in September 2021, are more poignant now than they were at the time.

Relentless municipal tariff hikes, a carousel of eight mayors in five years, political infighting and points scoring and working for the interests of individuals rather than the citizenry, seems to have left Johannesburg a cracked shell of its former self.

In this series, various entities tasked with running the city will be evaluated, one each week, before a final analysis of the health of the city is released.

Several entities will be investigated and scored - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Importantly, they will also be asked to also score themselves and justify their reasoning - in their own words. They can deny, admit, pontificate, or be honest about the challenges they face, as well as their successes.

It is hoped this series can be a frank and beneficial platform from which conversations about service delivery and the health of the city can be held by role players in public, or quiet meeting rooms to reverse and stall further rot and dysfunction.