Tau says CoJ financial challenges not result of current leadership failures

JOHANNESBURG - Former Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau said the city’s ongoing financial challenges are not the result of the current leadership’s failures but have been building up over several years.  

In recent months, the city’s leaders have faced criticism for poor service delivery and deteriorating finances.  

The African National Congress (ANC) national executive committee (NEC) sub-committee on local government held a media briefing on Saturday afternoon at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.  

President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of Johannesburg earlier in March, highlighting concerns over inadequate service delivery.  

Tau, who served as the mayor of Johannesburg from 2011 to 2016, has emphasised the importance of understanding the root causes of the city's current issues.  

“Some of the issues are deep-seated financial problems that have emerged over time. So you can't necessarily attribute the current challenges in the municipality to the current financial leadership and we have had to deal with the reality of the deterioration of the financial position of the municipality.”  

Tau said the city's current leadership has demonstrated a commitment to addressing Johannesburg's service delivery issues.  

He referenced Mayor Dada Morero's letter to the president, in which he requested national government to assist the municipality, as evidence of political will.