Johannesburg’s Poor Performance Report

It is high time for a comprehensive skills audit of the Johannesburg Metro administration following alarming evidence of declining capacity and poor performance.

According to the latest quarterly performance report by the City Manager, Floyd Brink, seven out of 22 managers failed to achieve their performance targets.

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is of the view that these figures are merely a symptom of a systemic shortage of critical skills at middle-management and technical level.

The problem can mainly be attributed to the large-scale departure of experienced officials and the so-called “old guard”, whose wealth of institutional knowledge has not been adequately passed on or replaced.

The ANC-led administration’s rigid application of its transformation policy has also created an imbalance by excluding skilled individuals from the White, Indian and Coloured communities, thereby severely limiting the pool of expertise.

Owing to the consequent capacity shortages, the Metro has become increasingly dependent on external contractors.

To make matters worse, these contractors are often inadequately trained, resulting in poor workmanship, higher costs for ratepayers and a constant decline of critical infrastructure.

The Freedom Front Plus, therefore, calls on the Johannesburg Metro to:

• Conduct a comprehensive and transparent skills audit across all departments.
• Prioritise the appointment of qualified and experienced personnel over politically motivated options.
• Introduce merit-based practices to restore internal capacity.
• Reduce dependence on contractors by rebuilding internal technical expertise.

Residents deserve a professional administration delivering reliable services.

A thorough skills audit is the first critical step towards restoring accountability and efficiency in Johannesburg.

Freedom Front Plus Voter Base: The party’s voter base is concentrated in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and Free State.

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