Ramaphosa still finalising list of people deployed to save CoJ

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa said he’s still finalising the list of people who’ll be deployed to save the City of Johannesburg from its declining state.  

Ramaphosa announced the establishment of a presidential working group earlier in March to assist with returning the metro to its former glory.  

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The president has been unhappy with the state of Johannesburg, saying it’s been unpleasant to welcome G20 delegates to an unclean environment.  

Speaking on the sidelines of a Basic Education summit in Braamfontein on Monday, Ramaphosa gave an update on the process of appointing a presidential working group.  

Earlier in March Ramaphosa told the story of the day he decided to drive himself from Soweto to Johannesburg, where he took the wrong off-ramp and ended up in the city centre.  

He expressed his shock at the conditions in the CBD, even describing it as a "dark city" due to the many dysfunctional street lights.  

Determined to make a change, he announced the establishment of the presidential working group, tasked with revitalising the metro.  

While Ramaphosa has yet to finalise the list of experts who’ll be roped in, he remains confident the metro will be saved.  

“We are going to be working with various key stakeholders, the province of Gauteng, the Johannesburg council itself. We are going to be working with business, with a number of civil society organisations and labour. So, we are going to be united.”  

A similar structure was established in 2024 to address issues in the eThekwini metro.