• Johannesburg’s R97.1 billion budget passed 139 to 92, with the ANC-EFF coalition voting in favour of it.
• The debate swung between self-congratulation from the ANC benches, sharp criticism from the DA and ActionSA, and an IFP plea to treat city finances as “a moral obligation”.
• In a fitting metaphor for the city’s state of affairs, the council had to adjourn for 10 minutes at the start of proceedings because there was no electricity.
  

The massive R97.1 billion City of Johannesburg 2026/27 budget has been passed.

On Thursday, councillors voted by a show of hands for the next financial year’s budget, which is R7.7 billion more than the current, unfunded one.

While the leading coalition called the budget “pro-poor” and “progressive”, the opposition said it was not funded, meaning it would not generate enough revenue to cover its expenses.

The vote was passed with 139 voting for it, 92 against, and one councillor abstaining.

The EFF voted with the ANC in support of the budget, while ActionSA and the DA voted against it.

While the EFF may have voted in favour of the budget, it was not shy to mention issues with it.

READ | Joburg’s R10.3bn wage deal: Too expensive to keep, too political to drop

The EFF’s Nokuthula Khonkhobe said while the council was told that last year’s budget was fully funded, “today the city returns to council admitting to an enormous infrastructure backlog of R220 billion, 27% electricity losses, and almost 50% water losses”.

“That R220 billion infrastructure backlog cannot be an accounting issue – it has real consequences for residents,” she added, saying it “translates to daily suffering for residents”.

Khonkhobe said while the operating budget had increased, capital expenditure “barely moved”, meaning that “the city is spending more to operate but not enough to rebuild”.

She asked how the collection target had moved from 88.5 to 86% and noted that while residents understood there was a rise in tariffs, they did not understand why they were not receiving the services.

Khonkhobe said:

The ANC had four speakers.

Councillor David Modupi said the budget was a “critical instrument of service delivery”, and that it was funded.

He added:

While Moloko Mpolobosho said the budget would address water leaks, he said he had an invoice for Roads and Transport MMC Kenny Kunene.

“My shocks and tyres are damaged, I’ll be handing over the receipt to the MMC of transport,” he added.

Thapelo Radebe congratulated Finance MMC Loyiso Masuku on “a well-crafted, well-rounded speech”, saying it was a fully funded budget with “realistic collection rates”.

“Once again, the ANC-GLU [government of local unity, the name for the ANC/EFF coalition] led government has delivered a budget that gives hope and a positive future,” Radebe said.

“I’m confident the people of Johannesburg will vote for the ANC. They will vote for accountability and transparency. [The ANC] is always telling the people of the country the truth. After 4 November, the ANC will continue its legacy of leading the people of Johannesburg,” he added.

Nofemela Nokuthula said the budget was “dignity in process”.

Mpumi Edward from ActionSA added that this was not a debate about the budget, but rather one on the collapse of governance in Johannesburg.

“What was presented before residents was not a budget speech, it was a political rambling discussed as a budget – an election campaign funded by residents of Johannesburg,” she said.

The IFP’s Nonhlanhla Makhuba added that the party was “deeply concerned about the overall state of finances” in the city.

“We call on the administration to treat finances as a moral obligation.

“We are alarmed by the continued growth year after year [of the debtor’s book]. While the collection of revenue remains under,” she said.

READ | R500 fine for lashing out in Joburg: Kenny Kunene’s belt moment has a price tag

Matthew Cook from the GOOD party said the budget speech was honest, and the city could not be repaired without honesty.

He added that he was proud of the GLU’s leaders.

Cook said:

The DA’s Chris Santana added that the budget was unfunded, and the city could not afford it.

“Johannesburg did not drift into this crisis, but was governed into this crisis. One does not drift into a R220 billion backlog,” he said.

Santana added that the ANC benches believed their stance on the agreement to fund municipal workers was “anti-worker”, but he said the budget, including the more than R10 billion back pay, was not honest.

“We do not support unfunded budgets – the funding of it remains an uncomfortable truth – it’s unfunded and not fully resolved. A responsible government gets funding first, then makes promises [to pay staff],” he said, adding that someone would pay for the shortfall.

Cornelis Boer from FF Plus added that the budget speech, which was full of hope, did not match the actual budget.

“Today’s budget will be tomorrow’s crisis,” he said.

Ronald Harris from the ACDP added that while the government closed the loop on paying employees back pay, “now I hope the unions and workers will play their part to fix infrastructure”.

In response, Masuku said the city was proud of what it had achieved in the budget.

On the loans, she said she did not know how ActionSA would govern if it opposed using loans as part of budget funding.

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero complained about ActionSA leader and mayoral hopeful Herman Mashaba, underlining claims of misgovernance during Mashaba’s tenure as mayor.

He said the council voted to pay back the municipal employees and would therefore continue to support the agreement.

Meanwhile, the day began with a reminder from council speaker Margaret Arnolds to behave, and for the most part, the councillors were well behaved.

The council adjourned for 10 minutes upon their arrival because there was no electricity.