Nokuthula Khonkhobe

In the chamber

From the 10 sittings transcribed so far in their term. Times are approximate, to the nearest transcript line.

Not present when called

0

Times given the floor

7

Average wait to start

8 s

Average greetings first

2 s

Apology or leave of absence (2)

• 22 Jul 2026 · 00:46:30Party business. Written leave of absence for political party business. sitting
• 25 Jun 2026 · 00:52:04Party business. EFF caucus apology for party business. sitting

In their words

Every time the chair gave them the floor in a transcribed sitting (7), newest first. The words are the AI transcript of that stretch of the livestream (Argon), so they can include the chair or an interjection; the time link is the place to check.

• 27 Aug 2026 · 00:13:02Applications for leave of absence · 37 s

  Read what they said (80 words)

  Khonkhobe, Madam Speaker.

  Khonkhobe.

  You must go to You must go to Northern Cape, you'll get it right. Um the apologies that we have as an EFF, it's Councilor Zazini, ill health; um Councilor Mogapi, family responsibility; Councilor Koma, party businesses; Councilor Ennie will be leaving at 2:00, together with Councilor Mbambala, party duties; um Ms. Sifumba, ill health, uh leader. Um Madam Speaker, at 3:00, the EFF caucus will like to leave, we have another

  political meeting. Thank you.

• 27 Aug 2026 · 00:07:37Direction on how to proceed with the delayed meeting · 10 s

  Read what they said (23 words)

  Uh greetings, Madam Speaker.

  Can you please stand?

  Okay, greetings, Madam Speaker. I think I'm also covered. We can continue, leadership. Thank you.

• 30 Jul 2026 · 00:25:29Item 3: log-in problems · 6 s

  Read what they said (20 words)

  Greetings, Madam Speaker. We are still having a challenge with councillors that are trying to log in, but they can't.

• 24 Jun 2026 · 05:49:0272 · 3 min 15 s

  Read what they said (387 words)

  Thank you very much Madam Speaker. The EFF stands in this one. If plans alone could fix Johannesburg Water challenges, residents would already receive a world-class service. The city has produced strategies, turnaround plans, financial models, and reform frameworks. Yet residents continue experiencing water outage, sewer spillages, delayed repairs, and growing frustrations.

  The EFF approach this report with a cautious support. We recognize the performance improvement action plan importance, but conscious that communities judge government by service quality, not plan quality. The significance of this report lies in Johannesburg Water finally linking operational performance to financial sustainability. The action plan is now connected to all the utility financial model, investment plan, and broader reform

  programs. Madam Speaker, this acknowledges that challenges are no longer isolated operational problems. They are systemic challenges requiring system solutions. Madam Speaker, years of underinvestment and aging infrastructure, maintenance backlogs, and financial pressure have created increasingly common service delivery failures. Communities experience this daily through burst pipes, sewer spillage, inconsistent supply, and lengthy response times.

  Madam Speaker, the EFF maintains that access to water is not simply a municipality function. It is a constitutional obligations and matter of human dignity. When communities spend days without water, when sewer flows into the street and rivers, when residents rely on water tankers, the issue becomes social justice, not administrative. Madam Speaker, government is often become trapped into the cycle of producing new plans of old problems. Compliance become the objectives

  instead of service delivery. We caution against measuring success by document approval or National Treasury requirement. Madam Speaker, success must be measured by outcomes. Are water outage decreasing? Are sewer spillages being reduced? Are repairs happening faster? Is infrastructure being maintained before it fails? Are communities receiving reliable services? These are the questions that matter

  to residents. Madam Speaker, Johannesburg economy depend on functioning of water system. Business requires certainty, schools require water, clinic require water, communities requires water. Every infrastructure failure affect the public health, economic activity, and public confidence in the government. The EFF support this report because reform is necessary. But Johannesburg Water and administration must ensure this plan translate into visible improvement

  in all communities. Residents do not need another document, they need water utility that works. People of Makhandakhanda in Ward 25, they really need water. Thank you Madam Speaker.

• 24 Jun 2026 · 05:05:3970 · 3 min 11 s

  Read what they said (390 words)

  Thank you, councillor. Uh ANC, Councillor Madiba. I've noted you. I've noted you. Councillor Madiba.

  Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Um the EFF support this report, but not as an endorsement of current affairs, Madam Speaker. Remember, I will always remind the this council that we are the vanguard of the people and we are guided by the seven non-cardinal pillars. That is why we are in That is why we support this report. City Power faces 44 billion infrastructure backlog, 3.1 billion operating

  deficits and lose and losses approximately of 5.7 billion annually through electricity losses. These are symptoms of utility allowed to drift into crisis. Planned maintenance constitute only 30% of activities. City Power respond to failures into preventing them. Madam Speaker, residents experience outage, damaged infrastructure, exploding mini-substations, cable theft, and unreliable supply.

  Madam Speaker, the electricity is essential for economic activity and public services. Frequent power outage negatively affects the business. It also affect the education, healthcare, and community safety. City Power loses about 30% of its electricity worth 5.7 billion annually through technical losses, illegal connections, and theft. Recovering these losses could help fund infrastructure upgrade, improve the substations,

  expand electrification, and reduce outage. Madam Speaker, there's only one professionally registered eng- engineer despite of 168 eligible employees, yet the entity spend 164 million annually on consultant. Why not outsource, Madam Speaker, expertise when we should build internal state capacity? The electricity market is changing. Large customers are exploring alternative energy.

  If City Power fails to modernize and rebuild the co- the confidence, it risk of losing major customers, further weakening the finances. As the EFF, we support the investment in smart metering, infrastructure renewal, grid and modernization, and revenue protection. But technology alone won't solve this crisis. Disciplined imple- implementation, consequence management, technical capacity, and sustained investment are required.

  Madam Speaker, most importantly um Madam Speaker, most important sentence in this report is that City Power owned admission: the current situation is unsustainable. We call for the accelerated infrastructure renewal, stronger action against theft, reduce consultation de- dependence, improve maintenance, and building internal in- in- in- building internal technical expertise. The people of Johannesburg deserve

  a reliable electricity that support economic growth. Madam Speaker, let us remind this council again: electricity it's a basic need. It's not a luxury. Thank you.

• 24 Jun 2026 · 04:54:1768 · 2 min 43 s

  Read what they said (342 words)

  Greetings, Madam Speaker, Deputy Executive Mayor, and all the councillors here. The Economic Freedom Fighters support the report, but with serious concern about Johannesburg Water crisis because we are the vanguard of the people. The city has infrastructure assets worth of 127 billion, but faces 26.6 billion backlog, with 26% of assets having less than 10 years of useful life remaining, recurring of

  31.8 billion over the next decade. Madam Speaker, the funding situation is worsened. The city reduced its medium-term investment from 8.5 billion to 6.5 billion, cutting the planned pipe replacement from 100 km only to 72 km. Non-revenue water remains above 44%, meaning nearly half of the water entering the system is a loss, stolen, or unpaid. Collection of level have declined

  from 83% to 74%. Madam Speaker, the wastewater crisis is equally alarming with declining trep- treatment performance, increasing sewer overload, and poor Green Drop result, creating a public health, environmental, and and economic risk. On the ground, food manufac- food manufacturing facility has lost 20 working shifts to due to water shortages and reco- relocated operations elsewhere. Res- Restaurants, guest

  houses, small business, car washes, salons, and informal traders are losing income, Madam Speaker. Ordinary families are forced to buy water while paying municipality bills. Schools, clinic, community facilities struggle to function. Poor communities queue for tankers while wealthier households buy private solutions. It's deep- It's deepening the inequality, Madam Speaker. The EFF support the turnaround plan, but reject a slow response

  to fast-moving crisis. The city must The city must increase the infrastructure investment, accelerate the pipe replacement, reduce water losses, fix billing and collections, protect the wastewater treatment works, and act against illegal connection and vandalism. Johannesburg Water cannot call itself a world-class city while businesses close and communities go days without water. Madam Speaker, as EFF, we would like to remind this council

  that water is life, not a privilege. And water is a human right. It must be owned by the city to the people for the people. I thank you, Madam Speaker.

• 28 May 2026 · 02:53:25Item 3: debate on the budget speech · 8 min 8 s

  Read what they said (936 words)

  Councillor N. Khonkhobe, Madam Speaker. Greetings to

  Khonkhobe.

  Khonkhobe.

  Okay, I'll get it right.

  Okay. Greeting to the Madam Speaker, greeting to the Madam Speaker, the MMC of Safety and Security, the MMC of Ennie Makhafola, the MMC of Social Development and Health. Today, Madam Speaker, today we rise not merely to debate figures on paper,

  but to defend the people of Johannesburg against the budget that speaks the language of recovery while quietly revealing the evidence of decline. The Economic Freedom Fighters has consistently maintained through its founding manifesto and local government manifesto that political freedom without economic emancipation is incomplete. Municipality cannot merely become accounting institution that collect tariffs and balance books while residents remain trapped in poverty, inequality and poor services.

  Local government must become developmental instrument that restore dignity, address apartheid spatial injustice and improves the material condition of the people. Therefore, our analysis today is not simply about numbers, it's about whether the budget advances economic justice and whether it changes the daily realities of our ordinary citizens. Madam Speaker, last year this council was told that

  the budget of 2025/2026 was a people's budget. A fully funded, pro-poor and pro-growth budget. We were told that Johannesburg was turning a corner. We were told that the city will improve the revenue collection, strengthen the billing system, reduce electricity losses and improve the service delivery. But today, a year later, the city returns to the council admitting Johannesburg faces infrastructure backlog

  over 220 billion, electricity losses of 27%, non-revenue water losses of 44.7%. Madam Speaker, that 220 billion infrastructure backlog cannot be treated as a technical accounting issue. It means a burst pipe in a communities, collapsing road, unsafe bridges, dysfunctional traffic light, aging substations, sewer spillages, and

  residents spending hours without water and electricity. The city casually mention this backlog, but to residents it translates into daily suffering. Against this crisis, the city allocates 8.8 billion for capital expenditure this year and 25.3 billion over the medium term. Let us be honest with the residents. Against the backlog over 220 billion, it is not a turnaround budget. It is a budget attempting to manage decline.

  Infrastructure deterioration risks outpacing infrastructure renewal. Madam Speaker, the financial trajectory itself raises concern. The projected surplus has almost halved from 4.1 billion last year to 2.1 billion this year. Operating expenditure has increased from 80.7 billion to 88.3 billion, while capital expenditure has barely moved from 8.7 billion to 8.8 billion. This means that the city

  is spending more to operate, but not investing enough to rebuild. That is not a transformation, that is a survival budgeting. Madam Speaker, we must also interrogate the revenue collection. Last year, the city aimed for collection target of 88.5%, with a stretch target of 90%. Today, assumption has been reduced to 86%. Last year, we were promised smart billing system, Project Lokisa,

  smart meters, improved collection system. If those interventions are succeeding, why has the collection target moved backward? We see the same problem with electricity losses. Last year, the city committed itself into reducing electricity losses from 28% to 25.8%. Today, the electricity losses remain 27%. Residents are paying for inefficiencies that they did not create.

  Madam Speaker, tariffs cannot be discussed in isolation. Electricity tariffs increase by an average of 9.1%, water tariffs by approximately 11%, refuse by 6.2%, while property rates increase by 3.6%. Residents understand that costs increase, but residents do not consume input costs, they consume service. If residents are paying more for electricity while

  experiencing outages, there is a problem. If residents are paying more on water while experiencing interruption and leakages, there is a problem. Tariff increase without measurable improvement in a service delivery amounts to punishment. EFF local government manifesto has consistently urged that municipality must place the interest of working-class communities before the financial convenience. A city cannot continue to shift inefficiencies into residents

  through tariffs while failing to aggressively deal with corruption, illegal connection, revenue leakages, infrastructure losses. Madam Speaker, we must also question the city increasing dependence on borrowing. Loans account for approximately 3.5 billion or almost 40% of the capital budget. Interest and loan redemption already consume approximately 7% of operating expenditure.

  Borrowing itself is not wrong, but borrowing becomes dangerous when it occurs in an environment of a weak project management and weak accountability. Loans are future obligations that residents eventually repay through the tariffs and rates. Borrowing becomes justifiable only if it expands infrastructure, generates revenue, it improves services. If borrowed money is inefficiently spent, residents

  suffer twice. They pay higher cost today and inherit debts tomorrow. Madam Speaker, we are also concerned about the lack of comprehensive informal settlement upgrading program. The budgets informs us approximately 2,200 houses will receive water connection and 3,050 households will receive sanitation service. But that does not settlement upgrading strategy.

  The EFF consistently urge that informal settlement upgrading it's a matter of dignity and spatial justice. Where is comprehensive program? Which settlement are being upgraded? What is the timeline of the budget? Where are the road and public lightning, storm water system, structure and sanitary in emergence road? Informal settlement cannot continue existing as the permanent temporality to communities. Democracy cannot continue reproducing apartheid

  geography through underinvestment. Madam Speaker, we also believe that the public safety requires a greater investment in the economic infrastructure. Business invest where there is stability to township economics thrive, to communities feel protectors. The city itself admit infrastructure is under attack through the cable theft, vandalism, destruction of public asset. The EFF

  maintain that the crime cannot be treated purely as a

Spoke on

• 30 Sept 2026 · 03:24:57Report on declarations of financial interest and gift registry
• 27 Aug 2026 · 00:05:35Councillors give direction on how to proceed
• 27 Aug 2026 · 00:11:24Applications for leave of absence: IFP, ACDP, ActionSA, EFF, AIC
• 30 Jul 2026 · 00:25:17EFF login problems referred to IT
• 24 Jun 2026 · 04:54:02Item 69: EFF supports with concern
• 24 Jun 2026 · 05:05:27Item 70: EFF and ANC
• 24 Jun 2026 · 05:47:45Item 72: Johannesburg Water performance improvement action plan v2
• 28 May 2026 · 02:53:10EFF's Cllr Khonkhobe on the budget