MAILBOX | A view from the trenches: Johannesburg and a little hope

BizNews Tribe member Rene Kilner has spent nearly 30 years fighting the City of Johannesburg. Over unlawful billing. Over broken infrastructure. Through ten mayors. On election day, she noticed something telling. One party's agents arrived trained. Others turned up short-staffed and asked them for help. If a party can't prepare a handful of poll workers, she asks, how will it run a multi-billion-rand metro? Now the coalition haggling has begun. And Kilner has a blunt question for Joburg's new leaders..By Rene Kilner.Addressed to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.Dear AlecTrust you are keeping well.I have been watching your interviews with the various political 'culprits' over the past few months, as well as their interviews with others. I have also watched their behaviour, actions and, more often than not, inactions over the years as they grapple with our failing municipalities and the myriad problems that come with them.As you may remember, or perhaps not, for my sins, through my business I have been dealing with these people and municipalities almost daily for close to 30 years.And when I say dealing with them, I mean at every conceivable level — from mayors and municipal executives to technicians and contractors. Face-to-face, remotely, in boardrooms and, quite literally, standing soaking wet in trenches showing people how to install infrastructure properly.I have also been involved in elections for so long that I sometimes think I started before the rinderpest!So I thought I would share a slightly different perspective with you. Not that of a politician, political analyst or commentator, but that of an ordinary citizen who has spent almost three decades fighting her ass off on behalf of consumers and businesses, trying to get this city to function.A citizen who, quite frankly, feels that unless there is a drastic change in administration, she may soon be looking for either a very tall building or a bulldozer. THE LEAD-UP TO THE JOHANNESBURG ELECTIONSHelen's approach to these elections was refreshingly different.She caught people's attention across communities and political divides. She was trending, people were talking, and most importantly, her message was simple, clear and understandable:Save Johannesburg. Give its people hope for a better future.Something else stood out to me.The DA invested an enormous amount of time, effort and resources in training its activists, volunteers and election representatives.Online training sessions were held several times a week in the lead-up to the elections, covering everything from electoral legislation and procedures to the responsibilities of party agents, voting processes, counting procedures and the protection of electoral integrity.People were expected to understand what they were doing, why they were doing it and what their responsibilities were.As someone who has spent much of her professional life dealing with systems, processes, governance and compliance, I found this particularly significant. THE ELECTIONS THEMSELVESTwo things became abundantly clear to me. Both reinforced what I have experienced over many years of involvement in elections.The first is something that politicians would do well to remember.Regardless of who we are, where we come from, what we believe or which political party we support, ordinary South Africans ultimately want much the same things.We want functioning services, safety, accountability, opportunity and a decent future for our families.I have worked alongside people from virtually every political persuasion over more than four decades of election involvement.People with vastly different political beliefs, backgrounds and opinions.Yet, on election days, we have invariably managed to work together, help one another, laugh together and get through extraordinarily long and sometimes difficult hours.We become ONE team, even though we represent different parties.There is a lesson in that which seems to be completely lost on many of our political leaders.The second observation is perhaps more troubling.Without wishing to sound partisan, in my personal experience, the DA has consistently been the only party whose representatives arrived properly trained and equipped with a working knowledge of electoral procedures.Representatives from other parties were frequently absent, insufficient in number or unfamiliar with the processes they were expected to oversee.On numerous occasions, they approached us for guidance so that they could relay the information to their own party structures.Now, think about that for a moment..If a political party cannot organise, prepare and train a relatively small group of people to perform clearly defined functions during an election, how on earth does it expect to administer a complex metropolitan municipality with a multi-billion-rand budget?.To me, that is not a political question. It is a basic question of organisational competence.And it is one that voters should be asking.POST-ELECTIONS: THE POLITICAL CIRCUS BEGINSI am a fairly simple, systems-orientated, logical person. Admittedly, I am passionate about certain things, and getting Johannesburg functioning again happens to be one of them.Looking at the election results and listening to what political leaders had promised before the elections, one would logically assume that their next priority would be to honour those commitments and do what was best for the people they had asked to vote for them.Surely, that is the whole point?But almost immediately, what do we see?With the notable exception, in my view, of Geordin, the rhetoric changes, the promises become negotiable and the inevitable political power grab begins.Or, as I prefer to call it, a monumental pissing contest.Suddenly, the discussion is no longer about fixing Johannesburg, restoring services, dealing with failing infrastructure or protecting municipal revenue.It becomes about positions, political leverage, who gets what, who refuses to work with whom and which individual or party can extract the greatest advantage.And the residents?Well, apparently, they can wait.Again.What I find particularly extraordinary is how quickly political leaders appear willing to abandon the very principles and commitments on which they campaigned.Which raises a very simple question:What sort of people do we actually want running our city?Rational, competent people who understand administration, honour their commitments and are prepared to put the interests of residents first?Or political opportunists whose positions change according to the latest opportunity to acquire power?Because, from where I stand, Johannesburg cannot afford another round of political musical chairs. A VIEW FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN THEREPerhaps I should explain why I feel so strongly about this.Over the years, I have dealt with the City of Johannesburg under the administrations of:Amos MasondoParks TauHerman MashabaGeoff Makhubo (including his time as MMC for Finance)Jolidee MatongoMpho MoeraneMpho PhalatseDada MoreroThapelo AmadKabelo GwamandaAnd then, of course, some of them again, as the political revolving door continued.I have watched administrations come and go, listened to promises, attended meetings, submitted evidence, challenged unlawful billing, dealt with failing infrastructure, exposed administrative failures and tried, often against extraordinary odds, to get officials to do what they are legally and contractually required to do.I have seen the same problems handed from one administration to another, with little accountability and even less institutional memory.I have also seen just how much unnecessary expenditure, lost revenue, damage to businesses and hardship to ordinary citizens results from this dysfunction.So when I talk about the need for competent administration, I am not talking about political ideology.I am talking about the practical ability to run a city.AND FINALLY — A LITTLE HOPE AND A LITTLE HUMOURI attended one of Helen's public meetings during the campaign.As we were leaving, I overheard people saying something along the lines of:"Thank goodness. At last someone who is giving us some hope for the future."Now, my brain tends to work in slightly unconventional ways.I immediately thought: There's a song in there somewhere!So I went back to my office, asked ChatGPT to put together some lyrics based on Helen's campaign antics and the state of Johannesburg, and then fed them into Suno.And this is what 'we' came up with!I have attached the result for your amusement..What made it particularly entertaining was that, during the elections, I had people from ALL political parties dancing to it, laughing and asking me to share it with them.For a few minutes, nobody cared which party anyone belonged to.We were simply South Africans, having a laugh at the rather desperate state of our city and sharing the same hope that someone, somewhere, might finally get it right.And perhaps that is the real message.Ordinary South Africans are perfectly capable of working together across political divides.Why can't the people we elect to represent us do the same?Enjoy the song, Alec. It is meant to be fun, but behind the humour is a very serious message about the state of Johannesburg and what its residents desperately need..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

MAILBOX | A view from the trenches: Johannesburg and a little hope

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