Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
8 April 2025 | 14:10 CAT
2-minute read

Image: City of Joburg (Facebook)

The City of Johannesburg held a successful integrated development plan (IDP) session at the Lenasia South Civic Centre over the weekend. The city’s Speaker of Council, Cllr Nobuhle Mthembu, led the event, which forms part of the City of Joburg legislature’s broader initiative to ensure inclusive, transparent and people-driven development planning across all regions.

Speaking to Radio Islam International earlier today, Councillor Mthembu explained the objective of the integrated development plan (IDP)

“In a nutshell, [it] is a platform created by legislature for the executive to table their short-term, medium-term and long-term goal or vision for the City of Jo’burg,” Councillor Mthembu said.

The IDP includes a plan for municipal tariffs and project funding.

Many Lenasia South residents who attended the session over the weekend voiced growing frustration about continuous service delivery disruptions, even though these issues are beyond the IDP scope.

“A lot of residents touch on service delivery issues and the sessions turn into public meetings more than IDP sessions; more than the residents inquiring about what the executives are proposing to them,” Councillor Mthembu said, adding that the City of Jo’burg allows this to facilitate communication between residents and executives. “We don’t want to stifle debates. We want the executives to hear what the residents are saying.”

Mtembu also acknowledged a deepening trust deficit between Johannesburg’s residents and their public representatives.

“One hundred percent, our residents have lost trust in politicians and in public representatives,” she said. “And rightly so—because even when we present attractive projects, the question remains: are they funded?”

According to the speaker, municipalities have three funding sources: revenue collection, loans, and government grants. With the city already struggling to collect revenue, Mtembu stressed that many projects in the IDP may exist only on paper unless residents start asking the critical question: is this project funded?

The frustration, however, doesn’t stop at politicians. Mtembu highlighted that residents are equally disillusioned with the city’s entities.

“People are complaining about the feedback—or lack thereof—they receive from our entities. There’s a breakdown in communication and accountability.”

Referring to the Auditor-General’s report, the speaker noted that Johannesburg’s municipalities need drastic improvement in service delivery, and she called for stronger consequence management across departments and municipal entities.

“People aren’t looking for grand visions,” said Mtembu. “They just want working infrastructure and responsive governance.”

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.