OUR CITY NEWS: Bosa mayoral candidate puts municipal accountability at the heart of Joburg’s renewal

Johannesburg's mayoral candidate, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, is emphasizing the need for accountability in local government services as she seeks to restore residents' faith in the city's future. Hlazo-Webster, running with Build One South Africa, has witnessed growing disillusionment among citizens due to poor service delivery, failing infrastructure, and a lack of political accountability. As the election approaches, she urges politicians to restore hope in communities, even if immediate solutions aren't possible.

Her vision includes merit-based leadership, improved municipal services, transparent governance, and a unified municipal administration. Hlazo-Webster believes that when people lose hope, their souls can die, and the city itself can suffer. She warns against accepting the dysfunction prevalent in the city, such as unreliable services and deteriorating infrastructure, and calls for consequences when officials fail to deliver.

In her first months as mayor, Hlazo-Webster wants residents to track priority infrastructure repairs through a public dashboard while improving the billing system and disclosing debts owed by the city. She also advocates for a more unified municipal administration to address the overlapping bureaucracies created by separately governed entities.

Hlazo-Webster's approach acknowledges the challenges ahead, including strained finances and a potentially fragmented council, but insists on holding leaders accountable for the hardships they impose on residents.