• ACTis has raised five flags for JPC and placed one under monitoring.
• Improper appointments and leadership instability have weakened institutional capacity and oversight. Signs suggest a climate of fear or favour has taken hold, which may make staff less willing to challenge misconduct. In this atmosphere, governance breakdowns and compromised decision-making are expected.
• The above factors create an enabling environment for corruption and maladministration. Signs of questionable contract awards have been found, although there is insufficient evidence to support the repeated patterns of organised corruption that characterise state capture. Financial mismanagement appears evident in systemic control failures. Significant financial burdens have resulted from poor decision-making and property management.
• Lack of accountability is enabling these dynamics. Rather than taking corrective action, implicated individuals remain in place, and inappropriate practices continue. Networks with shared political connections may be underpinning this dynamic.
• The cost of the current dynamics is evident in the poor management and lack of maintenance of the CoJ’s buildings. The CoJ relocated its headquarters to rented accommodation at huge cost, leaving citizens without a central place to access municipal services. The City’s property plans are lost or inaccessible. The Usindiso fire of August 2023, caused by neglect, claimed 77 lives.