With the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday that government is proposing the establishment of a Presidential Johannesburg Working Group to accelerate service delivery, stabilise the city’s finances and operations, and enable economic growth and job creation.

Ramaphosa was speaking during day two of the National Executive’s visit to the CoJ, where he said special focus should be the rejuvenation of Johannesburg’s inner city.

“…this historic part of our city has been allowed to deteriorate for much too long. Efforts must be taken to make it a liveable, thriving and safe space for all citizens,” he said.

He explained that the group must also work to ensure the inner city was primed to attract new investment and jobs.

Ramaphosa thanked CoJ mayor Dada Morero and his team for “engaging openly” and in a collaborative spirit with the Presidency on this support mechanism.

“It is in this spirit that we will make real strides to unlock Johannesburg’s role as the engine of growth for South Africa’s economy,” Ramaphosa said.

The Presidency is looking to engage on the report it will receive from the Johannesburg mayor and city leadership, ahead of the engagement with the city’s stakeholders on Friday afternoon.

“We will listen to their concerns and incorporate their proposals for how we can improve service delivery and enable growth,” Ramaphosa added.

He said visitors of the G20 Leaders’ Summit must leave inspired by their experiences in Johannesburg.

He pointed to the Presidential eThekwini Working Group, noting its success.

“The result of this ongoing work has been a marked improvement in business confidence and a sense by all stakeholders that eThekwini is on the road to recovery,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Ramaphosa met with the Gauteng Executive Council on the province’s priorities to drive inclusive growth and job creation.

He noted the presence of all mayors at the meeting, which he said was an important reminder of how the work of all spheres of government was closely intertwined.

He noted the many challenges in the Johannesburg municipality, and said the effects were felt across the whole country.

“Johannesburg today faces enormous challenges, ranging from financial and governance instability to rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. Water and electricity interruptions have become the norm. This has an enormous impact on the quality of life of citizens and the operations of businesses. The road infrastructure faces tremendous challenges. These include vandalism of traffic lights, dysfunctional streetlights and rapidly deteriorating roads and bridges,” he listed.

He said government “understands” the constraints faced by the city and “appreciates” Morero’s leadership and his executive in their attempts to stabilise governance and financial management.

“Without these critical levers, service delivery will not improve,” he explained.