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The release of Stats SA’s quarterly labour force survey delivered the news that unemployment is increasing in Johannesburg but dropping in Cape Town. This reveals an important fact about municipalities- good governance matters.

The numbers reveal that in the last three months of last year Cape Town added 69 thousand new jobs while Johannesburg lost 49 thousand. Cape Town’s broad unemployment rate is now 21.7% while Joburg’s is 38.9%. That’s a massive difference.

People often miss the connection between governance and jobs. These figures make the connection clear. Well-run municipalities create more jobs. It you think about it, it stands to reason. If you are a business owner you want fewer potholes, water in the taps, electricity when you need it, predictable and honest billing and an environment that is safe and looks appealing. All of that keeps costs down and ensures that people will want to visit your business because it’s a pleasant place to be. Johannesburg fails to deliver these things in most places.

When businesses can’t be sure of getting these things they close down or move elsewhere or simply don’t invest money in growing. That means jobs are lost or never get created in the first place.

Everybody in Joburg can see what is happening. They can see the decay. They can see the lack of maintenance. They experience the lack of water and power. They drive on crumbling roads where the costs of a failing city have to be carried by its residents.

Some people have stepped away from politics in despair. But stepping away will not fix the problem. What was broken by bad politics can be fixed by good politics. Johannesburg residents need to do what the residents of Cape Town did and vote for a DA city council. The DA has a track record of good governance, but we need a majority to be able to deliver it properly. Cape Town is just one example of many, nearby Midvaal is another.

We can change the trajectory of Johannesburg from decay to reconstruction, but we need to vote to do it.
 

Issued by Democratic Alliance Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille