Joburgers need their next mayor more than the Palestinians do

The City of Johannesburg is facing social, economic, and infrastructural challenges that demand an energetic, decisive, and capable mayor. 

That mayor will have to confront deteriorating infrastructure, rising unemployment, violent crime, poverty, and persistent service-delivery failures. Johannesburg is also one of 69 municipalities whose funds the National Treasury has frozen over concerns about financial mismanagement, highlighting the seriousness of the city’s financial and governance challenges. 

Johannesburg is a cosmopolitan city, with residents from different backgrounds who nevertheless have many common interests and aspirations. These shared interests should provide the foundation for cooperation and collective efforts to improve the city, rather than being undermined by divisive political rhetoric that creates unnecessary tensions and fractures. 

The political influence and authority entrusted to councillors should be exercised responsibly and in the best interests of Johannesburg’s residents, rather than being used to pursue international political agendas that have little bearing on the immediate challenges confronting the city. 

The city therefore needs a mayor who will first and foremost unite its residents around a transformative developmental agenda. 

Johannesburg’s rapidly growing population, approaching five million residents, places enormous pressure on the municipality to maintain, upgrade, and expand essential infrastructure and services. These include water and sanitation systems, roads, traffic lights, housing, public parks, cemeteries, and other basic municipal services. The mayor’s primary responsibility should be to ensure that these systems function effectively and that residents receive the services to which they are entitled. 

The city needs a mayor who will put Johannesburg and its people first, and not use it to pursue foreign conflicts. Given the city’s cosmopolitan nature, social cohesion is a prerequisite to establish a vibrant business and investment destination for everybody, regardless of race, language, religion, and political or ideological affiliations. 

This doesn’t mean that Johannesburg should be indifferent to international affairs. However, international relations are primarily the responsibility of the national government, through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, while local government should remain focused on matters that directly affect the communities it serves. 

The incoming mayor should therefore devote his or her energy to addressing the service-delivery backlog, creating economic opportunities for unemployed young people, combatting crime and corruption, and maintaining and expanding critical infrastructure. A safe, functional and well-managed Johannesburg would not only improve the quality of life of its residents but also make the city more attractive to investors, businesses, and tourists. 

The concern about international focus becomes particularly relevant when considering some of the prominent candidates in the mayoral race. Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Lukhona Mnguni of Rise Mzansi, and Reverend Frank Chikane, shortlisted by the African National Congress, have all been vocal critics of Israel and have devoted significant attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This raises questions about whether international affairs could overshadow the pressing domestic problems facing Johannesburg. Should any of them become mayor, their engagement with international issues should be balanced against the urgent local priorities. 

Johannesburg has already seen the potential consequences of a mayor becoming deeply involved in contentious international political issues. Following the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, then mayor Thapelo Amad of Al Jama-ah publicly expressed support for the Palestinian cause and Hamas. Such interventions in contentious international affairs can have political and social consequences at the local level, particularly when they become sources of division within a municipal council. A fractured council is less capable of building the political consensus required to address pressing community problems and improve service delivery. 

Statements a Johannesburg mayor makes are unlikely to have any meaningful influence on the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They can, however, have consequences within Johannesburg itself, where residents in suburbs and townships continue to confront unemployment, crime, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and unreliable service delivery. The mayor’s political capital would be better spent addressing these challenges than becoming embroiled in international disputes over which the municipality has limited influence. 

The next mayor of Johannesburg should therefore be judged primarily by their ability to govern the city effectively, deliver tangible improvements to residents’ lives, and unite its diverse population. Johannesburg doesn’t need a mayor who sees the city hall as a platform for international political activism. It needs a mayor who will fix its roads, ensure reliable water and sanitation, improve public safety, expand economic opportunities, strengthen municipal finances, and restore confidence in local government. 

The city’s international outlook shouldn’t come at the expense of its domestic responsibilities. For Johannesburg to thrive, its next mayor must put the people of Johannesburg first. 

• Kenneth Kgwadi is a political scientist, columnist, and research fellow at the Middle East Africa Research Institute.