Lesufi and Zille trade barbs over Joburg service delivery

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille traded insults on Thursday over service delivery in Johannesburg. Lesufi referred to Zille as a "Ford Cortina," an old car, while Zille accused Lesufi of taking credit for a transformer replacement in Soweto that the DA had funded. Johannesburg faces a R220 billion infrastructure backlog and less than half of its service delivery targets are being met.

Zille claimed on X that the DA had paid for the transformer and arranged its installation with Eskom, criticizing Lesufi for claiming credit. Lesufi responded by sharing older posts on X, stating he had been involved with transformers since 2024 and that the Gauteng government invested R82 million for transformers this year alone. He mentioned opening two in Snake Park and one in Rietvallei, with three more planned for Kagiso.

The exchange occurred as the battle for the City of Johannesburg intensifies ahead of local government elections. Disgruntled residents have protested deteriorating municipal services, including power and water outages, potholes, drug activity, and crime. The contest involves severe municipal decay, a large Eskom debt, and clashes between the ANC and opposition parties like the DA and ActionSA.

Why it mattersJohannesburg residents are affected by worsening service delivery, including power outages and crime, as political parties clash over responsibility.

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