Upon reflection, I owe @GTalevi an apology for my response. My skin has been worn thin by a level of unfair criticism. I should not have reacted the way I did and for that I sincerely apologise.
The work of fixing massive inequalities, broken infrastructure and dysfunctional institutions in the City will take many years. While we are making progress, it cannot all be achieved in 3 years.
The reality I face as Mayor is that those who live in poverty in my City are overwhelmingly black. I've fought against ‘empowerment’ polices that do not benefit the poor we have a moral obligation to work to prioritise improving the lived experience of our most vulnerable people.
Issues like the one @GTalevi demonstrated do exist, we are striving to address them better and faster. We also have 200 informal settlements, many without toilets, electricity and water. We are one of the most unequal cities in the world and it can’t all be fixed in 3 years.
Let us all be mindful that we live in two very different City's with different challenges. Our multi-party government is making progress but it’s going to take time and we need to humbly request our residents’ patience.
The point to not lose sight of is that the City is moving forward for the first time in a long time. In years from now, working together, we will achieve the Joburg we can all be proud of.
I am committed to 1SA4All, and a City which overcomes is terrible inequalities and historically poor record of responsiveness to our residents. I regret how my response undermined this deeply held belief.
