# Mnguni's Johannesburg: one city, not fragments > Rise Mzansi's mayoral candidate pitches a Johannesburg where services and safety reach every neighbourhood, not just the wealthy ones. - Title: Mnguni's Johannesburg: one city, not fragments | Shortify - Summary: Rise Mzansi's mayoral candidate pitches a Johannesburg where services and safety reach every neighbourhood, not just the wealthy ones. Rise Mzansi's Lukhona… - Keywords: lukhona mnguni, rise mzansi, johannesburg, mayoral candidate, local elections 2026, coalition governance, municipal services, infrastructure, public transport, water crisis, news, politics - Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-14-lukhona-mnguni-and-rise-mzansis-pitch-for-a-joburg-that-belongs-to-everyone - Author: Jan Bornman - Published: 2026-10-14T11:33:26+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: lukhona mnguni, rise mzansi, johannesburg, mayoral candidate, local elections 2026, coalition governance, municipal services, infrastructure, public transport, water crisis, news, politics ## Rise Mzansi's pitch for Joburg Lukhona Mnguni, Rise Mzansi's mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, aims to revive the city through reliable services, safer communities and improved infrastructure. ## One city, not fragments Mnguni argues Johannesburg functions as separate neighbourhoods where access to safety, services and opportunity depends on geography and income, not as one integrated city. ## Migration and informal traders Mnguni supports immigration enforcement and documentation requirements for traders but says the Johannesburg Metro Police Department should not criminalise poor people or push informal businesses to places where they cannot survive. ## Hostels need replacement housing Mnguni says the apartheid-era hostel model has failed and should be replaced with better housing, as many hostels have become spaces with poor living conditions, violence and political control. ## Five campaign pillars Rise Mzansi's plan includes Spatial Justice for better-located housing, A Living City for safer streets, Dignity in Every Ward for minimum municipal services, Infrastructure Reliability for water and electricity, and Jozi On the Move for… ## Seventy days, not one hundred Mnguni said his administration would prove itself in seventy days rather than the conventional first one hundred days benchmark, immediately addressing Johannesburg's adjusted budget and water infrastructure. ## Water leaks and pipe replacement Mnguni wants bid evaluation meetings recorded and made public, a water master plan, accelerated pipe replacement and intensive waste management. He said a lot of water runs on streets instead of in taps. > You cannot develop the city if you don't invest meaningfully in the water infrastructure. ## Ten to fifteen year turnaround Mnguni acknowledged Johannesburg's decline is too deep to reverse within a single term. He said the turnaround is a ten to fifteen year plan because so much has deteriorated. > Definitely, the turnaround of Joburg is a 10- to 15-year plan. So much has deteriorated. ## Residents still believe in the city Mnguni argues residents have not abandoned Johannesburg even if many lost faith in those governing it. Residents' associations, neighbourhood WhatsApp groups and businesses increasingly fill gaps left by the municipality. > If people were not involved, this city would probably have collapsed by now. ## Sport as civic memory Mnguni wore an Orlando Pirates shirt to the interview, recalling how he fell for Pirates during their nineteen ninety five African Champions League triumph. He sees clubs as part of Johannesburg's civic memory and community. ## Safety and public spaces Mnguni linked erosion of community to Johannesburg's crime problem, arguing safer neighbourhoods require a better-resourced Johannesburg Metro Police Department and residents comfortable occupying public spaces again. > When we are unsafe, we go to our private spaces. But when we retreat to our private spaces, we deplete the community. ## Coalition terms: no deal-making Mnguni has ruled out the Patriotic Alliance but not the ANC or DA. He says coalition partners should be bound by a public programme and anti-corruption agreement rather than negotiations over positions. > We're not going to be in the business of deal-making. We are going to be in the business of governing the City of Johannesburg in the best interests of the residents. ## Key takeaway Rise Mzansi's Lukhona Mnguni says Johannesburg's revival requires rebuilding systems that deliver reliable services and safety across all neighbourhoods, a turnaround he estimates will take ten to fifteen years.