MyJHB

Stuff from Johannesburg

⁠largest Budget in Municipality’s History

Statement by Solly Msimanga MPL – DA Gauteng Leader:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the passing of a fully funded R2.240 billion budget, in Midvaal Local Municipality.

Further, we are incredibly proud of the work being carried out under the leadership of incumbent Mayoral Candidate, Peter Teixeira, as this is the biggest budget in the Municipality’s history.

Some highlights of this budget include an extra R91 million to be invested into water infrastructure like replacing old pipes, R15 million going towards their war on potholes, and another R41 million is to be spent on road rehabilitation projects in 2026/2027.

Midvaal is a beacon of excellence in the Gauteng municipal landscape that plans for the future. That is why it is regularly recognised as one of the best run municipalities in the country.

This is only true, because Midvaal is DA-led, and has been DA-led for decades. Years of infrastructure investment, governance-excellence, and a commitment to creating an environment that works for residents, instead of against them, is paying off.

In stark contrast to Midvaal, is its next-door neighbour, the Emfuleni Local Municipality – one of the worst run in the country.

As it stands, Emfuleni is yet to pass its adjustment budget. The municipality is now also without a Mayor, and whilst the ANC stalls council meetings by not attending, the situation does not look like it will change soon.

The choice could not be clearer, and some residents, like those in Ward 28 Emfuleni last week, have already started voting for change. The local government election is the chance everyone has been waiting for. It is possible to get municipalities working for all with the DA.

Category: Tag:

Ponte City: Transformation

As the “white flight” of the 1980s and 90s drained the inner city of capital, Ponte City underwent a dramatic and terrifying transformation. By the late 1990s, the building had become a “vertical slum” and a symbol of urban decay. It was famously “hijacked” by gangs; the retail levels were stripped, and the building became a fortress for drug dealing and human trafficking. The most haunting image from this era was the central core. Originally designed to be a light-filled courtyard, it became a literal trash heap. Residents on the upper floors would throw their refuse into the center of the building rather than taking it down. At its worst point, the trash in the core reached five stories high—a mountain of rotting debris, discarded furniture, and even, legend has it, the remains of those who had fallen or jumped.

During this period, the reputation of Ponte was so toxic that there was a serious proposal in 1998 to turn the entire skyscraper into a vertical prison. The plan was eventually scrapped, but the building remained a “no-go zone” for nearly a decade. The turnaround began in the mid-2000s when developers New Metro Property Group and later Dlala Nje began a massive, painstaking refurbishment. They cleared out the tons of trash from the core, restored the lifts (which had often been out of order, forcing residents to climb 50 flights of stairs), and implemented strict security protocols.