Johannesburg ‘ready’ to host G20 Summit, says Mayor Morero

City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has expressed full confidence that the metro is “ready” to host the G20 Summit taking place next week.

Morero has assured residents and delegates that the city is fully prepared to host such a major international event.

He made the remarks speaking with IOL News on the sidelines of the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“We are ready to host the G20 Summit. From a logistics point of view, everything is fine,” Morero said. 

“We are excited, for the first time on African soil, in South Africa in particular, to host such a big and important event.”

“The G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held on November 22 and 23 at the Nasrec Conference Centre.

The metro has launched extensive cleaning and beautification operations, which Morero said were part of an effort to “reclaim the city.”

While there have been visible improvements, including enhanced waste collection and the removal of informal traders in certain areas, opposition parties in Gauteng have criticised the timing, saying the clean-up is merely cosmetic ahead of the summit.

Morero defended the initiative, saying it was part of a broader plan to improve the city’s service delivery.

Johannesburg continues to face long-standing challenges, including water outages, electricity cuts, non-functioning traffic lights, sewage spillages and potholes. 

Morero also highlighted the work of the so-called “Bomb Squad”, led by ANC Veterans League president and former SABC head Dr Snuki Zikalala. 

The team began operations in June to address service delivery issues ahead of the summit.

“The city, together with the Bomb Squad and other stakeholders, has done a lot of work. We are on the right path in our attempt to reclaim Johannesburg…it requires a lot of work,” Morero said.

The Bomb Squad’s responsibilities include repairing potholes, cutting overgrown grass, fixing streetlights and traffic signals, clearing illegal refuse dumps, addressing sewage spillages and assisting with the formalisation of informal communities.

Morero also launched the CEOs’ Clean-Up Campaign, a long-term urban renewal partnership involving 150 business leaders. 

The initiative began in the inner city this week and will expand to Soweto on Friday.

“This campaign will see Johannesburg’s top CEOs roll up their sleeves and join our teams on the ground in visible clean-up and revitalisation work across key precincts,” Morero said.

Meanwhile, the Gauteng Provincial Government has condemned what it called “malicious and seemingly coordinated acts of vandalism” targeting newly revamped public infrastructure in Johannesburg ahead of the G20 Summit.

Government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said incidents included the destruction of G20 Summit signage near Nasrec by armed assailants and damage to streetlights and traffic signals along the R55 route.

He described the acts as “a direct assault on our nation and its standing in the world.”

“This is not petty crime, but a deliberate and malicious campaign of sabotage, designed to undermine and tarnish the image of our province and country as we prepare to welcome global leaders,” Mhlanga said.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL