The City of Johannesburg rejects, in the strongest possible terms, the article authored by Ms Sisanda Mbolekwa and published by the Sunday Times on 16 November 2025, under the headline “Workers’ R4bn G20 blackmail.” The article is riddled with factual inaccuracies, contradictions, and unfounded claims that mislead the public and misrepresent the City’s actions.

The central allegation that the City or the Executive Mayor has “diverted R4 billion” from capital expenditure to avert disruptions to the G20 Summit is entirely false. No such diversion has taken place. The City has not yet budgeted for the agreement reached in principle with SAMWU on Friday, 14 November 2025, and no amount has been drawn from any capital budget for this purpose. The journalist cannot point to a single budget document or Council decision to support this falsehood because none exists.