Civil society calls for transparent municipal government in Johannesburg

Civil society organisations are calling for open and transparent municipal government in Johannesburg as the counting of local election votes continues. WaterCAN executive director Ferrial Adam believes the new council will have to improve public services and avoid an unstable municipal coalition, according to Our City News.

Before and during the vote, several Johannesburg neighbourhoods experienced serious disruptions to basic services, including inadequate waste collection by Pikitup and water cuts affecting thousands of residents. Ferrial Adam believes these difficulties contributed to lower turnout in some townships than in suburban and more affluent neighbourhoods.

William Gumede, an associate professor at the School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand, also expressed disappointment at the low voter turnout. He notably cited Johannesburg neighbourhoods that were without water before or on election day, Our City News reports.

The calls come after several incidents related to the city’s water supply, including Johannesburg residents’ protests after a week without water on 26 October, followed by Johannesburg Water’s denial of widespread contamination on 27 October.