‘Bomb Squad’ sounds good, but structural issues still plague Joburg : Analyst

Public policy specialist Dr. TK Pooe says that while Johannesburg’s newly introduced “bomb squad” task force may sound promising, the City of Johannesburg must prioritise addressing its deep-rooted structural issues to prevent future crises.

Earlier this week, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero announced the formation of a “bomb squad”, a task team intended to improve service delivery in the struggling city.

The team will be led by the ANC Snuki Zikalala and will work alongside President Cyril Ramaphosa’s crisis team in the city.

In March, the president bemoaned the derelict state of the once-opulent City of Joburg.

“Yes, it’s a good idea, but the key issue I’d want but know is how is he gonna address the shortfalls of the systemic problems of the city so they have efficient ways to prevent future challenges’” says Dr. Pooe

“I think the first thing they need to look into is weather the structure of the City of Jo’burg is really updated to the point with the problems that the city is facing and also look where are the shortfalls in terms of getting engineers and those type of specialists, such that these issues can be solved better,” says Dr. Pooe.

Dr. Pooe says that crucial issues of functioning traffic lights, for example, include bringing in data scientists who are trained to detect and report concerns as soon as they arise, rather than leaving them neglected for extended periods of time.

“If we had data scientists who could have probably integrated the city’s traffic lights into, let’s say – one system, we should be able to know where and which traffic light has gone down and also be able to give a speedy response to say listen, this is gonna take 1 or two days to fix,” says Dr. Pooe.

“If you look at the backlogs of infrastructure, potholes, and also what some suburbs look like, and also very importantly, look at where townships are. This is so that issues can be dealt with quicker and oversight in terms of where the money spent by the city is going, because it’s not like taxes are not being paid. The city collects taxes, it’s just an issue of what the city does with the funds that is problematic,” says Dr. Pooe.

The professor recommends citizens to continue putting pressure on government to maintain its reputation, claiming that the citizens pay enough taxes to want that.

“Pressure needs to be put on the city, citizens have done enough; they are paying more than enough rates and taxes. It’s now time for the city to do what it’s been mandated with,” urges Dr. Pooe.

He says citizens must demand accountability and tangible results from the newly established task force, emphasising its potential to play a crucial role in the city’s turnaround.