Saseka Lorrein Zitha

Attendance

Present

63

Leave of absence

2

Absent without leave

0

Arrived late

0

Left early

0

Reasons given for leave: Private business (2).

"Absent without leave" means the signed minutes of a meeting held while they were on council neither list them as present nor excuse them, and no similar name appears that day, so misspellings in the minutes don't count against anyone. Each square links to the minutes.

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

4

Times given the floor

5

Average wait to start

5 s

Average greetings first

15 s

Not present when called (4)

• 30 Sept 2026 · 06:18:55Called on item 11; no response. sitting
• 30 Sept 2026 · 06:32:42Chair assumed Zitha absent for item 12. sitting
• 30 Sept 2026 · 06:49:50Called on item 14 and not present. sitting
• 30 Sept 2026 · 09:12:24Called on item 30 and not present. sitting

Warned or stopped by the chair (3)

• 26 Aug 2026 · 02:08:41Chair warned of remaining speaking time. sitting
• 30 Jul 2026 · 00:29:11Speaker rebuked an EFF councillor who called out. sitting
• 24 Jun 2026 · 07:11:44Chair asked Councillor Zitha to switch off the microphone. sitting

In their words

Every time the chair gave them the floor in a transcribed sitting (5), 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.

• 26 Aug 2026 · 02:05:17Items 1 and 2 · 4 min 0 s

  Read what they said (533 words)

  Thank you very much, Speaker. Greetings to you, greetings to the EFF leadership. Um the EFF rises today to make it clear that the reports before this council are not simply financial documents, they are a diagnosis of the city that is seriously ill. And Speaker, looking at those reports, perhaps it's time that we call Dr. Tlaleng to come to Johannesburg and assist us, because she has already started diagnosing some of the problems in the society, and clearly this city also need a doctor.

  But unlike the patient she normally deals with, the City of Johannesburg's uh biggest problem is not the lack of resources, it's mismanagement, poor planning, weak accountability, and failure to turn budgets into actual service delivery. Speaker, the city's adjusted capital budget stood at 8.4 billion, yet by 31 March 2026, only 3.4 billion, that equals to 41%, had been spent.

  Some departments perform even worse. Community Development spent only 17%, Health 22%, Transportation 24%, while Economic Development and Social Development had recorded zero capital expenditure. So we must ask, Speaker, how can this council tell residents that there's no money for service delivery when money that has already been budgeted is not being spent? People are sitting without water. People are experiencing

  electricity failures. Our roads are deteriorating. Infrastructure is collapsing, yet billions allocated for capital projects uh projects remain unspent. This is not a money problem, this is execution problems. Speaker, the city's financial position is even more concerning. The National Treasury has identified a 2.1 billion unfunded budget gap, while several performance reform commitments

  have been flagged amber or red. Moody's has also placed the city's Ba3 rating under the review of possible downgrade. These are serious warnings, Speaker. But instead of dealing decisively with the fundamentals, the city continue producing strategies, frameworks, and turnaround plans. Speaker, the City Power is losing 30% of its electricity, uh representing around 5.7 billion in an annual lost revenue value.

  Johannesburg Water is losing 44.79% of its water while facing an infrastructure backlog of 26.6 billion. This means almost half of the water produced is not generating revenue. And then we expect ordinary residents to carry the burden. The city This city's own report Sorry, the city's own report further acknowledges that the Johannesburg Water requires

  2.9 billion annually to maintain its infrastructure, while 2026-2027 allocation is only 1.9 billion, leaving the shortfall of 940 million. Speaker, we are not dealing with the crisis that started yesterday. We are dealing with the years of poor planning, poor maintenance, failure to invest properly in infrastructure. And then the city has recorded

  40 seconds, Councillor Zitha.

  direct purchases of 6 billion in one of the quarter and 8.5 billion year to end. At the same time, more than 26 million worth of stock has been marked for deletion and referred for forensic investigation. Speaker, we call the residents of the City of Johannesburg to come and vote on the 4th, to vote for Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng. She must come to Johannesburg, take the city's financial temperature, check the city's pulse, and give

  the right diagnosis, because right now the patient is not just sick, the patient is hemorrhaging money.

• 24 Jun 2026 · 07:07:3982 · 4 min 5 s

  Read what they said (521 words)

  Uh thank you very much, um Speaker. Greetings to the EFF leadership and the EFF councilors. I rise on item 82. Um Speaker, the EFF Before I proceed, rather it is very important to remind this council and the resident of City of Johannesburg that the principle of debt relief did not emerge from nowhere.

  The EFF has championed uh the intervention aimed at assisting working class resident, pensioners, indigent household, small businesses, churches, NPOs, and vulnerable members of the society who continue to suffer under the difficulties of economic conditions, of this difficult economic conditions. We therefore welcome this progressive intervention and acknowledge

  that it reflect proposal that the EFF has long advanced in this council, that the government must place the people before the profit and provide relief to struggling resident. The report shows that more than 11,000 application has been processed, rather, and over 8,000 resident and institution have already qualified for assistance. It further proposed that uh write-offs that could amount to 11.7 billion while potentially improving

  revenue collection by 6 billion over the next 3 years. Speaker, while we support this the objective of this program, we must also be honest about the reason why many resident find themselves trapped in debt. A significant portion of municipal debt has accumulated because of inaccurate billing, estimated meter readings, delayed account corrections, and administrative failures within the city itself. Many resident have spent years disputing incorrect account while

  their debt continue to grow. The EFF therefore caution against creating the impression that all debt is a result of deliberate nonpayment. In many cases, the city has contributed to the problem through poor governance and insufficient system. We further note that the report identify the risk of creating a culture of nonpayment. This concern is legitimate.

  It's legitimate. Uh English, Speaker. Debt relief must not become a recurring cycle where resident wait for the next um write-off program. The city must strengthen billing system, install accurate prepaid and smart meters, resolve dispute speedily, and enforce for credit control measures. The EFF also believe that the debt relief alone is not enough. The root cause of the problem is deepening

  poverty, unemployment, and economic hardship experienced by our people. Families are struggling to choose between food, transport, school fees, and municipal account. Until the economy uh works for the majority, municipal debt will continue to grow. The EFF support this report because it provide immediate relief to resident who genuinely need assistance. However, we call for a strict oversight, transparency, and fairness in implementation to ensure that the program benefit deserving resident and not politically connected

  individual or businesses. Finally, Speaker, we wish to acknowledge that and thank the Economic Freedom Fighters for consistently advancing progressive policies that place the interest of the poor and working class at the center of the governance. This progress demonstrate that when government listen to the people, practical solution can be found. For those reason, the EFF support and approve for the this addendum while calling for approved billing system, stronger accountability,

  and long-term uh strategy to address the underlying causes of municipal debt.

• 24 Jun 2026 · 05:24:5271 · 3 min 27 s

  Read what they said (453 words)

  Thank you very much Speaker. Greetings again to you, EFF leadership, and EFF councillors. Speaker, the EFF notes this report and welcomes the effort to improve the financial position of the City Power, Johannesburg Water, and Pikitup. However, we must be honest with ourselves. The report confirmed that the city is facing serious challenges. Residents continue to experience water shortages,

  power outages, sewer spillage, and poor service delivery. Those are daily realities for our communities. The report further tells us that the City Power loses billions of rand through electricity losses and illegal connections, while Johannesburg Water continues to lose a significant amount of water through leaks and other losses. This means that while residents are paying for services, the city is losing money that could have been used to improve infrastructure and service delivery.

  The EFF support investment in infrastructure because our people deserve reliable electricity, clean water, and functioning waste management system. We welcome the increased budget allocation to City Power, Johannesburg Water, and Pikitup. However, allocating money is not enough, we need results. The people of Johannesburg are tired of hearing about plans, strategies, and frameworks while their taps remain dry and their streets remain flooded with sewage.

  What residents want Speaker is implementation. The report itself acknowledges that there is a major funding gap and that infrastructure backlogs continue to grow. This means that the city must spend every cent wisely and ensure that the corruption, wasteful expenditure, and poor planning are eliminated. Speaker, the EFF believe that the accountability must go hand in hand with funding. Executives and senior managers in those entities must be held

  responsible for achieving the target they set for themselves. Where there is failure, there must be consequences. Where there is success, communities must see the benefit through improved service delivery. We also believe that additional revenue recovered through improved collections, smart metering, and loss reduction programs must be directed toward repairing and maintaining infrastructure. The EFF support efforts to reduce electricity losses and non-revenue water.

  But those efforts must not unfairly target poor communities while larger businesses, developers, and organized syndicates continue to benefit from illegal activities. Speaker, the success of those reforms will not be measured by report or presentations. It will be measured by whether residents have water in their homes, electricity in their communities, and cleaner neighborhoods. The EFF will therefore support this item

  because investment in infrastructure is necessary. However, we call for a stronger oversight, regular reporting to council, and a strict accountability for those entrusted with managing public resources. The people of City of Johannesburg deserve efficient services, accountable leadership, and a city that works for all of its residents. I thank you very much Speaker.

• 24 Jun 2026 · 03:18:5466 · 4 min 20 s

  Read what they said (593 words)

  Thank you, Councillor. Um Councillor Santana, DA.

  Z Zitha, Speaker, Z Zitha.

  Z, Z.

  Oh, it's, ja, it's

  S Zitha, sorry.

  Hai, Speaker. You must not do those things.

  I knew you'd be a complainant. Can we carry on, S Zitha?

  Uh greetings to you, Speaker. Greetings to the vis- at the gallery. I'm not going to greet the resident of the City of Johannesburg; it's pointless because we're not streaming. Uh the Economic Freedom Fighters note the Financial Turnaround Framework before council. As the At the outset, we welcome the honesty contained in this report. Unlike many report that attempt to paint a rosy picture, this report admit that the City of Johannesburg remain in a fragile financial position.

  While there has been some improvement in revenue collection and cash reserves, the city The reality is that the city is facing a serious financial and service delivery challenges. The EFF has always maintained that the local government exists to serve communities and not to enrich a few individuals through corruption, wasteful and expenditure, and poor governance. Today, this report confirms many of the concern that the EFF has raised over the years.

  The report tells us that the non-revenue water remain extremely high, resulting in billions of rand being lost every year. It tells us that the electricity losses continue to cost the city billions. It tells us that the consumer debt continue uh to increase. It tells us that the capital budget are not being spent effectively. Most importantly, it tells us that the re- that the resident are not receiving the quality of service delivery they deserve. Speaker,

  what's the meaning of the financial turnaround if communities in Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Ebony Park, Kaalfontein, Orange Farm, Alexandra, Soweto, and other areas continue to experience water shortages, electricity outages, sewer uh spillages, and poor waste collection? The people do not measure success through financial report; they measure through success service delivery. This is why the EFF believes that the financial sustainability is a ser- service delivery

  must go hand in hand. We cannot have one without the other. The EFF support measures aimed at improving revenue collection, reducing electricity losses, reducing non-revenue uh water. However, we must ensure that those measures do do not unfairly punish poor and working communities, while those who have benefited from corruption, illegal connection, and non-payment continue to escape accountability.

  Speaker, the EFF um 2021 LGE manifesto called for the maintenance and upgrading of the public infrastructure. We therefore welcome effort aimed at investing uh in in in engaging in aging, rather, infrastructure, because much of Johannesburg service delivery crisis is the result of years of underinvestment in maintenance and repairs. However, we are concerned that the city continue to spend

  below target on capital project. Communities are tired of hearing about budget that are approved, but never implement implemented. We need to move from planning to implementation.

  45 seconds.

  The EFF therefore call calls for strict accountability measures. Senior managers and executive must be held accountable for the service delivery. Performance agreements must be linked directly to service delivery outcomes. Where there is negligence or poor performance, there must be consequences. We also believe that the rand recovered through improved collection, reduction of water losses, reduction of electricity losses, must be directed back into infrastructure maintenance

  and service delivery programs. This is the only way resident will begin to see the and the benefit of those reforms. The EFF further calls for a greater transparency and regular reporting to council so the communities can track

• 26 May 2026 · 00:56:08Request for approval to enter into a loan agreement with KfW · 1 min 7 s

  Read what they said (116 words)

  Thank you very much, Speaker. Greetings to the EFF leadership, uh party leader, uh Councillor Khonkhobe, um Chief Whip and Chairperson of Health, Thabiso Mogapi, Chairperson uh, sorry, MMC of Health and uh Social Development, Eunice Mgcina, MMC of Public Safety, uh Mgcina, Mosh ಕಾಮ, Chairperson of uh MPAC, uh Councillor Sepetlele Raseruthe.

  Eh Speaker, I understand where Chairperson Magwentshu is coming from. He's teaching us a new language of Ka Bo Yellow. I mean, everyone is mizing this win of CAF. Everyone is talking about the uh Pirates new kit, you know, the home and away for next season. And congratulations again to Orlando Pirates to taking the better way. As the EFF, we note.

Spoke on

• 26 Aug 2026 · 02:02:41Items 1 and 2: EFF contributions
• 30 Jul 2026 · 00:09:56EFF unable to report numbers
• 24 Jun 2026 · 03:18:47Item 66: EFF position
• 24 Jun 2026 · 05:22:47Item 71: ActionSA and EFF on the trading reform programme
• 24 Jun 2026 · 06:57:19Item 82: addendum to Debt Relief Programme Phase 4
• 26 May 2026 · 00:56:01EFF and UDM notes and support