Thank you very much Speaker.

Honourable Speaker,
Executive Mayor,
Fellow Councillors,
And the people of this great city of Johannesburg.

Let me start by making an important observation on leadership. When a leader of an organization espouses negative energy, such negative energy tends to permeate throughout the organization.

If only this were a spaza shop, a corner shop, or maybe even a hair salon, the problem here would not have been serious. But in this regard,
we are dealing with South Africa, and Africa¹s preeminent city - the City of Johannesburg. As we deal with the City of Johannesburg, there is a significant injustice when its leader chooses to eschew the truth.

For when you eschew the truth, you are depriving the people of this city the opportunity to know the real state of their city. Mr Mayor, allow me to reflect on some of the truths that you chose to eschew in your State of the City Address.

When we arrived in the City of Johannesburg, not only did we inherit a divided city that had multiple municipalities, we inherited an institution that was in financial ruin. We talk here today of a city that can stand proudly and say that financially we are an extremely stable organization.

Mr Mayor, allow me to reflect on the reality that in fact in your hostile relationship with the truth, in certain instances I would be convinced that there would have been a doctor that should have diagnosed some serious allergic reaction when it comes to the truth. But allow me to reintroduce you to this small matter called the truth.
 
Once you correctly identify the need for massive infrastructure investment in the City of Johannesburg at an estimated R170 billion. What you choose not to say in your State of the City Address you presented to this Council is that, in fact, this is the city that was the pioneer in post apartheid South Africa of the municipal bond market.

In fact, this is the city that was the first in the world to list a green bond celebrated internationally. This is the City of Johannesburg. As you choose to have a hostile relationship with the truth, you choose not to say to the people of Johannesburg that, in fact, this is the city that when you look at sub-national government in the country - was investing the most in capital infrastructure investments, in this country of South Africa. For in fact, this is the city that between 2011 and the end of the last term of office was able to move its capital budget from R3.7 billion to an average R10 billion per annum, more than any other city in this country.

Mr Mayor, when the world met in Quito, Ecuador last year, at the Habitat III Cities Conference, it adopted the New Urban Agenda. As part of the adoption of this New Urban Agenda, the world celebrated a Right to the City and included it in the paradigm adopted under the auspices of the New Urban Agenda. A paradigm we have presented to the people of Johannesburg a few years ago as a critical paradigm to city development, and the city¹s strategy.

But what you might not know, because maybe Councillor Ngobeni might not have told you, but I suspect he would have told you, that, in fact, the spatial development framework of the City of Johannesburg was celebrated by none other than the UN-Habitat - the United Nations pre-eminent body on city development.

But what you might not know is that underlying this spatial transformation initiative, and the spatial development framework of the City of Johannesburg, are the tools that we should use to implement this. Part of the tools that we talk about are the tax incremental financing schemes that would enable us to ensure that not only do we leverage from that additional income from the private sector, but those in the private sector will benefit the most from public infrastructure investments are able to reinvest that money in cities. Those are the tools that have been identified as pioneering tools in the City of Johannesburg. But it is the truth you choose to forget or at least choose to omit.

Some of the truth you choose to omit are part of the spatial development framework - the Corridors of Freedom, celebrated the world over.  It is this Corridors of Freedom initiative that in fact the Global Empowerment Facility donated to the City of Johannesburg in excess of over R100 million to ensure that we are able to implement spatial transformation, and ensure that these people that you say are forgotten, are able to live closer to where opportunities are in the city. That is the truth you choose to omit, because you have a hostile relationship with this truth.

The BRT system in the City of Johannesburg is the first bus rapid transit system to be implemented in this city, and the first to be implemented. It is the first that goes directly into the historically disadvantaged townships, owned by the taxi industry - of the people of the city. But that is the truth you choose to omit because it is an uncomfortable truth to tell the people of Johannesburg.

It is unfortunate that you chose not to tell the people of Johannesburg that inline with our commitments to climate change and sustainability, this city initiated the green fleet initiative of the City of Johannesburg. That the Metrobus introduced a dual-fuel system as part of our transition to bio-gas, which was intended to ensure that we are be able to generate our own energy in the City of Johannesburg - by the people of Johannesburg. But this is an uncomfortable truth to share with the people of the city.

You are unable to say to the people of Johannesburg that in fact, this is the city that was able to initiate a programme of a fleet that would be propelled by electric cars. Maybe you do not see them. They are white cars with a bit of green on the sides and they are working for the city. That is the green fleet of the City of Johannesburg.

Mr Mayor, I have no doubt in my mind that corruption requires the attention of all the leaders in both the public and the private sector, and indeed it is corruption that must also be dealt with ­ with members of the legal fraternity. It is corruption that we must confront, but the untruth that you present to this council is in fact that corruption was not dealt with in the past.

You will almost be convinced as you speak that the first person to be arrested was arrested post August 2016. But it is not only that fact that you eschew, but what worries me more is in-fact how you are dealing with this matter. You are not telling the people of Johannesburg that ­ with television in tow - you went to the police station to open a case that was already opened, to then say this is a case I went to open. But it is already opened.

And you know what happens when you are advisedŠ true to [The] Apprentice style - to the people who advise you ­ you say Œyou are fired¹. It is unfortunate Mr Mayor if you think that is how you must run a city like Johannesburg. For in fact, your uncomfortable relationship with the truth forces you to fire your own MMC who says to you ŒI am sitting with three reports of investigations that have already been done that you want me to do¹.

And when they say so, then you ­ in true apprentice style ­ Œyou are fired¹. This is not The Apprentice. This is not a television show. It is not a story. This is real life, this is a real city. So you can't relate to the city that way. You have to relate to the city within the context that this, in fact, is the preeminent city on the African continent, celebrated the world over. You can't deal with it like a spaza shop, or indeed a hair salon.

As I said, what worries me more is that in fact you are uncomfortable to even ask members of your own caucus when you are dealing with the matter of broadband as to whether reports were served before this Council. Maybe it will be uncomfortable to say it in your caucus because if they respond they might just get the usual Œyou are fired¹ response. But it must be something that, in fact, the former Councillor that sits in your office should have been able to tell you ­ Mr Cadre Deployment.

I'm sure this former Councillor would have said to you that - served before this council were several reports that said that the contractor that was appointed to implement the broadband initiative had repudiated the contract and this Council chose to cancel that contract. What do you chose to do? Instead of looking back to the several reports of the contract that say this Council had repudiated the contract, the city has taken the necessary penalties - withdrawn the contract and ensured that we implement an alternative initiativeŠ You choose to go and investigate a report that in fact has been served before this Council.

Maybe because you could not ask the MMC for Finance next to you, but you should have asked your cadre sitting in your office, who is a member who was serving in the Council - as to whether indeed these reports were before Council. For in fact, when you go to the people of Johannesburg and you scream R10 billion ­ and you are talking about investigations that were already done or contracts that were repudiated by this Council. You are creating alarm to the people of the city on the basis of reports that were served before this Council.

This is only so that you can say that the ANC is everything wrong that you can imagine. I should say to you Mr Mayor that what concerns me more is not only that you are hostile to the African National Congress, it is the fact that you treat the ANC with hostility, disdain, if not pure hatred. That concerns me very much - for that sort of attitude permeates not only the city but permeates society. It is that sort of attitude that is anti-democracy in itself - for you do not deal with your opponents in that way. You deal with your opponents in a manner that respects the fact that they were elected public representatives.

Let me tell you how we conducted ourselves as an absolute majority, not even being in coalition government. The speaker of this council is leader of the Democratic Alliance and he will share with you, as will Mr Maimane, as will Cllr. Moriarty, in fact, as will Cllr. Panning ­ as leaders of this Council ­ as will Cllr Matthews.

On critical issues, where these matters concerned this Council, we would take it upon ourselves to consult amongst each other. We would stand up and say Œleader of the DA there is this critical report, we are not going to abuse our majority on this matter. This is about the people of the city of Johannesburg¹.

But when you sit here without the ability to even have a degree of magnanimity in the hallow victory that you had, you continue to treat us as if we are the enemy. We are not the enemy. We are your opponents. We are your political opponents, we disagree ideologically, and no doubt I disagree with you ideologically.

For I  can tell you that the direction in which you are taking this city is not a direction of inclusivity,  it is not a direction of transformation, it is not a direction of ensuring that we will be able to build a new urbanism in Johannesburg. It is a direction of division, of exclusion, of hostility. It is a direction we cannot celebrate in the City of Johannesburg.

I beg of you Mr Mayor, stand up and be the leader of the City of Johannesburg, and not a leader of the DA, or only of the 39% people that voted for the DA. Recognize the 44% of the people that voted for the ANC into these chambers.