While Mayor Sello Dada Morero’s State of the City Address (Soca) painted a picture of billion-rand housing projects, ambitious digital initiatives, and presidential support, councillors from Johannesburg’s Region B argue that the speech largely ignored the harsh realities faced by their communities.

Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs and Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker spoke on the disconnect between the mayor’s promises and the everyday struggles of residents in their wards, stating their firsthand knowledge of the city’s urgent challenges.

In Ward 98, Jacobs said ageing infrastructure had overwhelmed municipal services, and JMPD, Johannesburg Water (JW), and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) remained under-resourced.

Jacobs highlighted the urgency of these issues, noting that some neighbourhoods were enduring weeks of raw sewage flowing through the streets – an unacceptable crisis that went completely unmentioned in the mayor’s address.

“While the Mayor delivered a ‘pie in the sky’ vision, it was completely out of touch with the realities on the ground,” said Jacobs. She called for accountability, transparency, and a municipality that worked for all residents, voicing her commitment to fighting for a service-driven government.