CITY of Joburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamandahas cancelled his trip to the Russia-Africa Summit that is taking place in St Petersburg, Russia.
The trip cancellation comes as ongoing work to respond and recover services following the gas explosion that occurred in Bree Street on Wednesday, 19 July, continue.
While Gwamanda was humbled by the invitation to the summit, he said considering the priorities of the city and the coalition, he has decided to recuse himself from the summit.
The mayor was meant to depart with a high-powered delegation to Russia to strengthen city to city relations that would be a foundation for foreign investment.
This, as Jozi remains an attractive investment destination, ready for investment and collaborations to enhance the city's development and economic growth.
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"The Russia-Africa Summit is a critical engagement and as a city, we were humbled to be invited to participate and to showcase our city as a leading and vibrant centre of investment and development on the continent.
"The invitation was evidence of the significance of Johannesburg to the continent and the global economy, and would've presented an opportunity for the city to once more take its rightful place in global socio-economic and political discourse," said Gwamanda.
It's been a week since a gas explosion ripped through Lilian Ngoyi Street, formally known as Bree Street, causing panic, splitting a busy street open and leaving many cars damaged‚ with some blown off the road by the force of the blast.
While services such as water and electricity have been restored, city manager Floyd Brink said they were working on declaring the explosion a local state of disaster.
At the moment, Gwamanda is convening a series of meetings with the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) and the Technical Team regarding the progress made thus far, and will continue having more of these briefs and site assessments on a regular basis.
"This was an unscheduled occurrence and must therefore be treated with the urgency it deserves. Life as we know it is at stake, and the sooner we get to the root cause and find permanent solutions, the sooner the lives of our people can go back to normal along with the hustle and bustle of the CBD as we know it," said the mayor.
