Image:JoburgCAN

JoburgCAN responds to City of Johannesburg’s 2025/26 Budget Outcome Report

The City’s dismissive interpretation of meaningful engagement undermines public confidence in the governance process

The Joburg Community Action Network (JoburgCAN) acknowledges the release of the City of Johannesburg’s report on public consultation outcomes and the finalisation of the 2025/26 municipal budget. While the City claims to have followed the required legislative process, the substance of its response reveals a concerning disregard for the growing dissatisfaction among residents and the economic pressure facing households and businesses alike.

“Again, we raised the principle of cost reflective pricing guided by legislation, like being charged for sanitation based on your property size. Sadly, the City’s response was that it was ‘addressed last year in their comments and that this is CoJ policy,’” said Julia Fish, Regional Manager for JoburgCAN. “We believe that the City should be able to justify the costs of services. You pay for the amount of water you consume, which makes sense, however, how does the City justify paying for sanitation services based on your property size? They can’t.”

“As JoburgCAN, we reiterate our call that a municipal budget must be more than just an accounting exercise,  it must serve as a tool to restore trust, deliver tangible value, stop wastage and strengthen Johannesburg’s resilience. The City’s dismissive interpretation of meaningful engagement undermines public confidence in the governance process,” Fish added.

Despite JoburgCAN and other civil organisations including JPOMA, Asivikelane and RatesWatch making clear, constructive submissions during the public participation process, the City’s response lacked substantive engagement. Instead, it leaned on procedural compliance rather than a genuine reflection on residents’ concerns.

Key concerns raised by JoburgCAN

1. The City concedes that fewer than 5% of IDP consultation engagements focused on tariffs and budget concerns. This is not a reflection of low interest, but rather of poorly timed and inaccessible sessions that exclude working residents. Participation does not equal consent when the process is exclusionary. The sessions focus on the basic increases and project report backs but never drill down on other increases like a resellers’ tariff this year that will seriously affect sectional title and social housing units or on the prepaid service charge last year. Residents can’t read through hundreds of pages of documents and rely on the meetings for disclosure.
2. With a 13.9% increase in water and sanitation, 12.41% in electricity, and 4.6% in property rates, Johannesburg residents are being asked to pay more without a guarantee of improved services. These increases come at a time of economic hardship, high unemployment, and stagnant service delivery.
3. The City failed to show how tariff increases will translate into improved service delivery. There is a glaring disconnect between what residents pay and what they receive – leaking sewage, broken infrastructure, and deteriorating roads continue to plague the City.
4. The City has acknowledged future efforts to improve cost breakdowns, but the current budget offers little insight into how each rand is allocated or how spending aligns with performance targets.
5. While the City notes JoburgCAN’s submission, it offers no clear response to our specific recommendations to improve accountability, ringfence revenue for core service delivery, and enhance transparency through community-accessible budgeting tools.
6. There are unjustified increases in councillor headcount and board appointments. The number of councillors is being expanded under the demarcation board process currently underway. This is funded before the consultations have even taken place.

Welcome developments

The City has recognised that the current indigent register leaves citizens behind. The City will be reviewing how Free Basic Services (FBS) are allocated such as by area, property value or by metering informal areas to give access to FBS. This is a welcome result after JoburgCAN exposed how this grant was being mismanaged. (Link https://joburgcan.org.za/fbs/)

There will be no increase to the prepaid electricity service charge of R230 including VAT. It was initially proposed to increase by R50 but that was withdrawn.

JoburgCAN remains committed to championing the rights of residents and business and holding the City accountable.

Apart from the Presidential Working Group interventions, we believe City of Johannesburg should focus on the following:

• Transparent cost breakdowns per service in community-friendly formats.
• Ringfencing of electricity, water and waste removal revenue to sufficiently fund these departments to stop wastage and supply sustainable services.
• Realign and adjust executive scorecards to ensure improved performance with publicly accessible service delivery performance dashboards linked to the SDBIP and budget allocations.
• More inclusive and responsive public participation platforms that accommodate working-class and business stakeholders.

The City’s budget must reflect the lived reality of its residents. Johannesburg cannot afford another year of misaligned priorities, underinvestment in infrastructure, and disconnection between leaders and the people they serve.

 

More information
A soundclip with comment by Julia Fish, JoburgCAN Manager, is here.
More information on JoburgCAN’s submission earlier in May 2025 on the City of Joburg’s budget is here and the submission is here.

Spokesperson on this issue:
Julia Fish JoburgCAN Manager
078 411 8475 julia.fish@joburgcan.org.za

 

Media queries:

Samantha van Nispen
OUTA Head of Marketing & Communications
082 885 6569 samantha.vannispen@outa.co.za