Madam Speaker, I would like to welcome you to one of the greatest cities in the world. Today we embark on the next step that will continue to position Johannesburg as one of the leading global cities; a city of innovation, and economic dynamism; a city that mobilises the strengths and qualities of its diverse population; but also a city that cares deeply for all its residents, through its commitment to the provision of world class services for all.
Madam Speaker, Johannesburg has always been what Professor Jon Hyslop the social historian, formerly at the University of Witwatersrand, described as ”the place that stimulated the search for the possibilities of freedom”. This city has always attracted free thinkers, revolutionaries, entrepreneurs and thought leaders willing to take up the fight for freedom. Two of our most illustrious citizens, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were products of this extraordinary metropolis. The cosmopolitan character of Johannesburg has always provided a fertile ground for new ideas.
We choose to live here. It is here in Johannesburg where we can search for the possibilities of our freedom. It is here where we realise our dreams and aspirations.
This is the reason why we continue to attract people from all over the world. The first wave of the migrant populations arrived here from the ends of the earth: miners from Mozambique, Nyasaland, Cornwall and Australia; artisans and engineers from Scotland; storekeepers from Lithuania and Gujarat; financiers from England and Germany. Between 1904 and 1907, Chinese workers were brought to the mines on a huge scale. In the subsequent decades came black mineworkers from Basutoland, Zululand, and Pondoland; impoverished rural Afrikaners; refugees from Eastern Europe and migrants from Greece and Portugal. And the present wave of migrants to this city, Chinese, Somali, Nigerian and Bangladeshi is a continuation of our history.
We owe our strength to a melting pot of cultures, a hybrid society always searching for new ideas; alive with all the possibilities of freedom we seek.
Madam Speaker
MECs and Members of the Provincial Legislature
Executive Mayors
Chief Whip of Council: Cllr Prema Naidoo
Members of the Mayoral Committee
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Leaders of all Political Parties
All Chairpersons of Council Committees
Fellow Councillors
City Manager: Mr Trevor Fowler
Managers and Officials of Council
Distinguished guests
Business Leaders
Civil Society Organisations
The Media
Citizens
Ladies and gentlemen.
You will remember that two years ago, we embarked on a citywide process to consult on a future vision for the city. We spoke to communities, academics, leaders in business and labour, faith based and non-profit organisations and the youth to agree on shared objectives. From this process we developed our Joburg 2040 vision for a city that is sustainable, liveable and resilient. This is a vision of a city that talks to its people and creates places that they want. It is sustainable because it delivers infrastructure and ensures everyone has services. It is resilient because we have the capacity to respond to unexpected and unpredictable events.
Over the last few weeks I have spoken to people across the City, about the current challenges we are facing but also about implementing our vision for the future. When we as councillors were elected we committed ourselves to transform this city and to leave a sustainable and lasting legacy for future generations.
During the recent Integrated Development Plan (IDP consultations we again had the opportunity to listen to the concerns and aspirations of our residents. We have spent countless hours speaking to communities in Westbury, Lenasia, Kliptown, Orange Farm, Rosebank and Bryanston - to name a few. We have heard your voices and concerns that you’ve raised.
We hear your concerns about the quality and effectiveness of service delivery at our customer centres, about the maintenance of council flats, about the affordability of rentals, about your concerns regarding the transparency of processes that seem to exclude you. But this does not have to continue.
We hear your concerns about the increasing cost of living, rising electricity prices, escalating costs of fuel. The bill for feeding our families increases everyday and we struggle to make ends meet. Bus strikes and interruptions in rail services sometimes make us late for work, and often our bosses don’t understand. The cost of textbooks, stationery, school clothing is becoming more expensive. Working together we do something about it.
Residents want to live in a city that is not only effective and efficient in the delivery of services, but also a city that listens to its people, and works not just for you but also with you!
Madam Speaker, on a daily basis there are important changes happening in the city. We are making progress on all aspects of service delivery. We are winning the war against crime and urban decay and we are attracting new investments across the city.
Through the revenue step change roadmap, we have drastically reduced the number of unresolved queries on our billing system and improved our ability to collect revenue. Our collection rate has improved to 91% giving us cash in excess of R800 million for the ten months up to 30 April 2013.
We have improved Customer Relations by reducing average waiting time from 164 seconds to 24 seconds. The abandonment rate of calls has dropped from 27% to 6%.
We are addressing issues of road quality, filling in potholes, but also following a long- term approach to resurface roads in major areas including Bryanston, Sandton, Rivonia, Parkview, Eldorado Park and Riverlea.
We are working with the residents, business, clients and the media to root out corruption. We uncovered cases in the Revenue, Planning and Health Departments, JMPD and Municipal Courts. We have opened 23 criminal cases and arrested officials this year and conducted 30 disciplinary hearings. In the past year I announced the Fraud Hotline to address corruption to expose corrupt officials and take action.
We are committed to energy efficiency and reducing the cost of energy to households. Over the a period of three years we are installing 110 000 solar water heaters in poor and low-income households, we will continue implementing this programme, enabling residents to save on their electricity bills. This represents 10% of the national target of 1 million solar geysers by 2014, and will create around 20 000 job opportunities while stimulating local manufacturing.
We have a targeted ward approach to improve the quality of services initially in 35 wards. We have improved services by more than 70% and will expand this to another 35 wards over the coming months.
We have started the rollout of separation of waste. Over the next three years we will have 70% of all households involved in separating waste at households level. This is in line with our target of reducing waste to landfill by 20% in 2015.
Last year I announced that we would be spending over R100 billion on infrastructure over a period of ten years. In pursuance of this objective we have budgeted an amount of R30 billion on new replacement and maintenance of infrastructure, which will be spent over the next three years.
Madam Speaker, in the words of the renowned urban geographer Professor David Harvey, "The right to the city is not merely a right of access to what already exists, but a right to change it after our heart's desire. But the right to remake ourselves by creating a qualitatively different kind of urban sociality, is one of the most precious of all human rights.”
When we embarked on the GDS process we were collectively accessing our right to change this city after our own heart’s desire. As people of Johannesburg it is this desire in our heart that the world is acknowledging. Joburg 2040 our Growth and Development Strategy, has become an international reference on city strategy, studied at the Universities of Lund in Sweden and University College London in the UK. And this is why Developmental Service Delivery is important so that we may realise our Joburg Vision, bridging the gap between the present and the future.
This vision has laid the foundation for us to remake this city, by creating a qualitatively different society than the one shaped by our history-- and the world has heard us. We are empowered as citizens to be creative architects of our future and not just the passive recipients of our past and captives to our current reality.
Knowing our past is important so that we may chart the future. Our inherited colonial past shaped our present reality- the 1913 Land Act, the 1923 Native Urban Areas Act, 1957 Group Areas Act are our legacy. These acts defined our city spatially. A city divided, still showing the imprint of the Apartheid geography.
Without a mountain, river or sea, Johannesburg has always struggled to invent an enduring celebratory image for itself. As we continue, our present reality is a sprawling city, creating a polycentric metropolis with multiple nodes, and a constellation of edge cities, gated communities and shopping malls. We live in a car-dominated city with multilane freeways, traffic grids, corridor highways and crisscrossing roadways. Our city seems to be spatially dividing and splintering itself with no end in sight, as the poor live in informal settlements dotted on the periphery of our city and those more prosperous living in secure townhouse complexes.
Coupled with the reality of the now-- climate change, inequality, poverty, violence and unemployment adds to the inherited challenges of the past. We not only have to level the historical playing fields; we also have to build a better tomorrow.
Despite all of our challenges, we continue to choose to live in this place called Jozi. We continue to attract immigrants from all over the world. And, we remain a city always innovating and changing no matter what our circumstances. The City’s endowment with natural mineral resources, human and knowledge capital remains part of its lure to the entrepreneurial spirit. We are more resilient than we imagine. The communities of this city are active, they stand their ground, and they speak their minds. We are fighters, never backing down. Never accepting less.
I want to outline the following five fundamental rights to the City of Joburg:
1. The Right to Developmental Service Delivery- where the city maintains and improves existing infrastructure, while expanding new infrastructure. Where citizens have the right to hold us accountable and become active participants in the delivery of services.
2. The Right to a spatially integrated and a united City- in which we rebuild and reconnect the divisions created by decades of Apartheid spatial planning.
3. The Right to a Liveable city – where all people have access to good quality of life, clean air, food, safety and cultural expression.
4. The right to inclusive economic growth- to ensure that citizens are active participants in creating their own economic opportunities and shaping their destiny.
5. The Right to remake ourselves in this city- based on our understanding that the citizens of Johannesburg engage not only on the basis of their needs but also on the basis of their capabilities.
As we pursue these rights of our hearts desire, these rights of our collective endeavour, these rights of our envisioned future.
Madam Speaker, these rights can best be summarised by the noble words of Walter Sisulu who passed away ten years ago, who he said. “The fundamental principle in our struggle is equal rights for all in our country… all people who have made South Africa their home, by birth or by adoption, irrespective of colour or creed, are entitled to these rights.”
1. The Right to Developmental Service Delivery - Residents have a right to have a greater say in the delivery of services. Residents have a right to be partners and benefit from service delivery, they have a right to hold us accountable and become active participants in the delivery of services.
Madam Speaker, to the citizens of Johannesburg we say; we want to continue and strengthen working with you and not just for you. It is for myself and my colleagues in Council to deliver to our resident’s quality municipal services - water, electricity, roads, and waste collection. However in the context of inequality and poverty, this cannot continue to be our only model.
We will drive our developmental service delivery model so that we can have a community based service delivery model that creates jobs and incomes for families. This we can do across all service categories; waste, water, electricity creating new job markets as we roll out services.
2. The right to a spatially integrated and united city - We have already pioneered the first Bus Rapid Transit system when we launched the Rea Vaya. This has now become the model for similar developments in other cities. Today we are taking transit oriented development another step forward, with the introduction of a project that will forever change the urban structure of Johannesburg and eradicate the legacy of Apartheid spatial planning.
Over the decade we will introduce transport corridors connecting strategic nodes through an affordable and accessible mass public transit that includes both bus and passenger rail. Along these corridors we will locate mixed income housing, schools, offices, community facilities, cultural centres, parks, public squares, clinics and libraries.
Transit-oriented development will change the entrenched settlement patterns. It will also slow down the process of urban sprawl and the uncontrolled spread of low-density developments on the fringes of the city.
An effective and affordable public transport system will link these nodes - which are located on the arteries like beads on a necklace - enabling residents to travel only short distances between home and work place, cutting down on costs and travel time. This will result in significant social and cultural interaction and help to break down the barriers erected by the policies of segregation – creating the opportunities to build a non-racial society.
Madam Speaker, these corridors will be Corridors of Freedom, that will mobilise the dynamic energy of this city, connecting important strategic nodes such as Rosebank, Inner City, Sandton and township CBD’s to each other.
Over time we will eliminate the need for private vehicles as the City progressively moves towards an effective public transport system, cycling lanes and pedestrian walkways. This move will change traffic patterns, reduce travels times and cut down on noxious carbon emissions and exhaust fumes. This will result in a cleaner, healthier environment and improvements in the quality of life enjoyed by residents and visitors.
Living areas will be located in close proximity to office developments and surrounded by opportunities for shopping, leisure and recreation. Mixed-use development will spring up around transport nodes along the “Corridors of Freedom” bringing schools, clinics, police stations and government offices much closer to communities.
People will be able to walk or cycle to most destinations and facilities located close to their homes or make use of public transport for medium-distance trips. The urban design will strongly encourage this move away from private car usage. Streets and sidewalks will be designed to facilitate the use of bicycles and safety measures will create an amenable environment for pedestrians.
Parking along the street curbs will be limited and traffic calming measures will make it increasingly difficult for private vehicles to enter the new pedestrian friendly neighbourhoods.
Madam Speaker, the Corridors of Freedom is the launch of one of the largest public transportation development programmes in the history of South Africa. Johannesburg will lead in South Africa and in Africa to link transport development with high density housing and create viable, sustainable and integrated communities.
3. The Right to a Liveable city - where all people have access to good quality of life, clean air, food, safety and cultural expression. If we again reflect on Professor David Harvey’s view on the Right to the City… “The question of what kind of city we want cannot be divorced from the question of what kind of people we want to be, what kinds of social relations we seek, what relations to nature we cherish, what style of daily life we desire, what kinds of technologies we deem appropriate, what aesthetic values we hold. The right to the city, is therefore far more than the right of individual access to the resources that the city embodies… it is moreover a collective rather than an individual right since changing the city inevitably depends upon the exercise of a collective power over the processes of urbanisation.”
Madam Speaker let us state this clearly. No one should go hungry in this city! In Johannesburg today, 42 % of the poor go without a meal between 1 and 3 days in a month. In Gauteng food accounts for 30 percent of the budget of working class households, and up to 60 percent of what poor households spend.
For this reason, Johannesburg has made food resilience and agricultural development a priority for this term of office. We are working towards a city “Where no one goes hungry”.
We are leading the most comprehensive urban food resilience programme in the country and a have formed a coalition with other spheres of government, the non-profit sector, the private sector and communities themselves.
Over the past nine months, we have put the key elements of this programme in place. Food insecure communities at the hungriest edges of our City have been mobilised and empowered to transform open spaces into food gardens, including many that might otherwise have remained or become dumpsites or vacant spaces.
Our Food Empowerment Zones will leverage the City’s large land assets to provide opportunities for intensive farming, enabling emerging farmers to come together as a common economic force. However to make Johannesburg food resilient, we need to re-organise our workforce and create viable and sustainable economic opportunities across the entire value chain of the food system.
This includes, urban agriculture, distribution, retail and consumption. Individual households and communities have an important role to play, in growing their own food and augmenting their household food supplies. We are asking everyone in this city to support this initiative and to be aware about where you buy your food, by supporting our food empowerment zones, by buying from our local producers and help us become food resilient.
Last Saturday I launched the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign – Go Jozi Campaign. Be Active. Feel Good – this is a citywide healthy lifestyle promotion programme, to address the silent threat of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart conditions, high blood pressure and chronic illnesses.
We cannot let this silent threat erode the quality of life of our citizens. For this reason we are scaling up our advocacy programmes in the city. Prevention is better than cure.
Through the Go Jozi Promotion Campaign we will be working with fast food outlets and food retailers to promote healthy and nutritious foods. Let’s get involved in promoting the health and well being of our city by pledging your support. Take personal responsibility to drive this campaign at home. Begin in your own family and Joburg will support you. Medical Aid Schemes, Provincial Government Departments, we need you as partners to deliver the message “Go Jozi. Be Active. Feel Good” in gyms, restaurants, playgrounds, shopping malls, universities, and government offices.
Madam Speaker, we have made significant progress in making Johannesburg a safer city. The Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice an international think-tank, released a study showing the top 50 most violent cities in the world according to levels of homicide. Johannesburg was number 50 and ranked the least violent amongst these cities. However this does not mean that we should not be concerned and fail to deal with crime and the multiple factors that contribute to crimes which are psychological, social and economic in Johannesburg.
Property crime, rape, car hijacking continue to affect the well being of our citizens in the most adverse ways.
Madam Speaker I have recently been appointed as the vice chair of Global Network for Safer Cities, a UN Habitat initiative to advocate for urban safety and the prevention of local crime all over the world. Part of the mandate of the network is to develop a safer cities guideline and action plan, which include a safer cities index, elevation of gender perspective on safety issues, and a social inclusive approach to safety. From international best practice, crime prevention works best when communities are involved in dynamic partnerships with private security companies and city police departments.
Our private security industry is one of the largest in South Africa. But this model for policing and crime prevention is not sustainable. We need to support community based crime models. Crime prevention is not only the responsibility of the City of Johannesburg; it involves multi-government and stakeholder approach. This is about realising the freedoms of a safe city- where women and vulnerable groups are safe from the threat of violence.
Safety and crime prevention is multi-faceted. We are working to improve the safety of our streets, have more public lights and CCTV cameras in the city. We will also introduce an analytical approach to crime detection and prevention by creating an intelligent operating centre. Last year I introduced the Joburg 10 Plus Programme. This initiative integrates by-law enforcement, crime prevention and basic service delivery in particular addressing service breakdowns.
But by far the most important safety and crime prevention intervention is for communities to join the fight against crime. When we stand together, join hands and show a united front we will be able to fight crime. Please be active, start a street committee or neighbourhood watch, learn about community crime reduction initiatives, build relationships with your neighbours, make your presence felt in your streets. These simple actions have proven to reduce crime. Communities standing together can make a difference.
Madam Speaker, one’s sense of self, of wellbeing, of personal identity, of freedom, is intertwined with where we live and how we live. Many in this city, find accommodation in backyard shacks, rented rooms, informal settlements and abandoned buildings. This is not the most desirable way to live.
Through our Sustainable Human Settlement and Urbanisation Programme, we are implementing; the rollout of various housing programmes through upgrading of informal settlements, upgrading of hostels and provision of social and transitional housing. We will continue with our inclusive mixed use housing programmes in areas such as: Alexandra, Fleurhof and Lufhereng. As part of this programme we will create a regulatory environment where backyard shacks are transformed to become acceptable rental accommodation.
We are embarking on an inclusive mixed-use housing project in the Inner City. We will spend R450 million on precinct development and infrastructure provision in 2013/14; and we have a five year capital investment plan that is based on sequenced investment in strategic precincts, including the inner city transit precincts. We welcome prospective partners in the future projects.
We are committed to support the positive growth in the inner residential property market. We offer incentives for social housing developers to increase the portfolio of their stock. A coordinated crime and safety enforcement effort will ultimately improve the liveability of the inner city. The corridor approach will create new housing opportunities for thousands of Johannesburg’s residents, and alleviate some of the housing pressures in strategic nodes.
We will build a solidarity coalition, with housing rights activists, tenant associations, property developers, and social housing companies to be able to win this fight.
4. The right to inclusive economic growth - Madam Speaker, the R30 billion CAPEX spend plus the R100 billion OPEX spend over the next three years provides a great opportunity for the empowerment of Small Medium and Micro-Enterprises, skills development and job creation in particular for the youth of our city. We will launch a truly focussed public works programme that expands our achievements on the current Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
We will continue to support private sector initiatives that help grow the economy of the city. We have been working closely with developers of these areas and are optimistic that as the property market improves these projects will come to fruition.
Knowledge economies have become a generator of economic growth in global city capitals across the world. In partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand and University of Johannesburg we will unlock the research capacity, and innovation capability of this city to bring it on par with similar developments at university campus towns in other countries. This will centre on key projects to drive collaboration between institutions, providing a conducive 24-hour precinct environment for students and build our economic competitiveness.
Smart cities are cities that value the pursuit of knowledge and learning. These pursuits are embedded in various institutions and become an integral part of what a city’s people value, nurture and respect. We are driving multi-faceted programmes to bridge the digital divide and improve how we communicate to citizens and allow them access to city information.
The end of May 2013 will mark the completion of the three year roll-out phase for the Johannesburg Broadband Network, which includes over 900km of fibre infrastructure. The next step is to make access availible to the public, integrating the network into the City’s processes and systems, further roll-out our smart metering, introduce intelligent traffic management, improve public safety and e-health so that residents can enjoy the benefits of living in a smart city. It will stimulate opportunities for the business sector, create more small to medium enterprises, bring business and people together and increase employment opportunities.
Special Economic Zones is a globally accepted model for accelerating the economic development of targeted geographic areas. In terms of new legislation a number of Special Economic Zones will be established in South Africa. In these zones, a special regulatory and planning regime will apply, covering areas such as taxation, infrastructure planning and access to services.
Our intention is to become the first city to adapt the model to a local level. The City will identify specific areas of Johannesburg that merit a special economic intervention and which should be declared Local Special Economic Zones.
Madam Speaker, in the words of Oliver Tambo ‘We are Africans in Africa’. We are aware of the unprecedented growth sweeping Africa. We have to be cognisant that there are many African immigrants living in Johannesburg and making a positive contribution to the economy. African economies have grown rapidly over the last decade; Africa’s financial services sector is projected to grow by 40% in 2020. Seven out of ten of the world’s fastest growing economies are in Africa. Africa will spend 1.1 trillion US dollars over the next 25 years to modernise infrastructure systems.
Johannesburg must accelerate its continental presence to compete effectively. Madam Speaker, we will be hosting a number of international events which continue to enhance our position globally and in Africa.
In July, we will be hosting the annual general meeting of Metropolis, which brings together 500 mayors, thought leaders, experts and civil society to discuss pertinent issues affecting our cities. At the end of this conference we will together with our colleagues throughout the world we will be celebrating our most respected and loved citizen, recipient of the Ikhamanga Award, Nobel Prize Laureate, Isithwalandwe; Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. I would like to take this early opportunity to wish Madiba a happy 95th birthday. You have inspired generations and we will continue your life work, everyday to strive always to put our country before ourselves.
The City of Johannesburg is also hosting the 5th C40 Biennial Summit in February 2014. We are the only South African city, and one of three on the continent to form part of the C40 Steering Committee. Our participation has already yielded a number of benefits, ranging from key learning’s and financial and technical support on climate change initiatives.
These initiatives are part of our International Relations Strategy that focuses on; local government networks, strategic African cities, North to South relations, BRICS and solidarity with peoples’ struggling for self-determination and freedom. Through these global networks of local government leaders this city continues to share its experiences and learn from other great cities.
5. The Right to remake ourselves – is premised on our understanding that the citizens of Johannesburg do not engage on the basis of their needs but on the basis of their capabilities. This is about citizen consciousness, about raising our individual and community awareness, building of our capacities so that we can become better citizens and better individuals.
To build the city to our heart’s desire, we need citizens who are conscious and aware of their individual and collective responsibility to be a citizen and to play their part.
We have adopted a new model for community based planning. Madam Speaker we see ourselves as councillors who are foremost developmental activists and champions for building active and engaged citizens. Together with our residents we need to improve our skills set. We will promote the development of ward and neighbourhood action plans, to enable residents to identity their needs in their own areas. These ward action plans mark a new era for participatory planning and democracy in Johannesburg. We want to contribute to building a culture of active and engaged citizens and will work together with grass roots initiatives such as LEAD-SA and the Citizen’s Charter to promote these ideals.
Madam Speaker, the essence of accountable government is to address the basics which affect the daily lives of the citizens. Together with the MMC’s we have introduced a programme of visible service delivery to minimise interruptions of basic services and to ensure that Johannesburg has an unqualified audit.
Through the Corridors of Freedom we will reshape the city for its people. As much as South Africa is a story of triumph and hope, in the last 19 years we have to ask ourselves how far have we have come? How much have we achieved to liberate our people? We are a democratic South Africa. We have fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution.
We have had free and fair elections over the last two decades. There is so much for which to be hopeful for, yet the struggle for the realisation of freedom in our city remains an ideal. Corridors of Freedom provide a real opportunity to consolidate the gains we have made since the introduction of democratic local governance and move closer to that ideal.
Therefore Madam Speaker, we must together continue our pursuit of freedom to live in a great city, remaking our city so that it is safe, open, unified and prosperous. We are committed to a partnership for change ensuring that our people find common ground in a city of tolerance and acceptance, a city that we share as equal citizens.
It is 20 years since the assassination of Comrade Chris Hani who worked tirelessly for unity, always fighting to achieve a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa where your ability to succeed is not related to where you were born or the colour of your skin.
This month we will pay respect to Walter Sisulu Freeman of the City, who passed away ten years ago. We honour the legacy of Amina Cachalia who passed away a few weeks ago who participated in the Women’s March against pass laws on the Union Buildings in 1956.
Her comrades; Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophie De Bruyn have awarded the Freedom of this City by resolution of the Council in recognition of their individual and the collective struggle for gender equality and empowerment.
This year also marks the 20th year since the passing of Oliver Tambo, whose vision, for the acceptance of cultural diversity is still relevant today as it was during Apartheid. In 1979 on Radio Freedom, Comrade Tambo made a remarkable statement which is still relevant today namely that "Let us in South Africa, learn to stop being Bantus, Coloureds, Indians and whites. Let us be what we are, Africans in Africa.”
This week we lost one of the leading lights and intellectual giants of the Youth Movement. We remember Ephraim Nkwe as the Head of Political Education of the erstwhile Soweto Youth Congress and the South African Youth Congress. After its unbanning he became the first head of Political Education of the ANC Youth League.
He was the Political Commissar of his underground Unit of Umkhonto We Sizwe, a tireless soldier and a soldier for Freedom.
Conclusion
Madam Speaker, we share a vision to transform this city and I believe that we are realising the potential for freedom for the residents of Johannesburg.
I have taken you on a journey to show you we can realise our freedoms. We are remaking Johannesburg according to our heart’s desire- a truly great city, a symbol of a World Class African City united in our diversity. And in doing so, we will continue the work of Madiba, Chris Hani, Amina Cachalia, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Mahatma Gandhi, Ephraim Nkwe and many who have fought for freedom.
We will never stop searching for the possibilities of freedom in this city; it runs deep in our veins as Joburgers. We are continually striving to guard our most precious right of all - the right to change this city, and in so doing, shape our own future in a just and equitable city that inspires us to reach for our heart’s desire.
Madam Speaker, Councillors, Citizens of Johannesburg; through our individual efforts, through our collective endeavours, we will build a prosperous and united city.
Thank you.
