Johannesburg is deteriorating right in front of our very eyes. Jozi was once a cosmopolitan city on the rise where many South African creatives and thought leaders got their start (we’ve all been to Kitcheners at some point).
But now? The city I used to love and someday imagined living in is crumbling, and the leaders appointed to do something about it are busy squabbling.
What do I mean? Last month, the Democratic Alliance filed motions of no confidence against Joburg mayor Dada Morero and chief whip Sithembiso Zungu. Why? According to the DA, it’s because Joburg was “collapsing under their leadership.”
Morero survived the motion with 75 votes for and 144 against. Forty-three councillors abstained from voting. Zungu was saved by 179 votes.
But that does not mean Joburg is being run properly. In fact, just because Morero and Zungu had the numbers doesn’t mean that they’re in the right. It’s a well-known ANC tactic to use numbers to protect their members. Remember Zuma?
What is this motion?
A motion of no confidence is a formal vote in which members of the highest decision-making body in an organisation vote to oust whoever is leading them. So, for example, say you’re the CEO of a huge company with a board of directors. They can institute a motion of no confidence in your leadership and vote to keep or remove you. And it’s not just mayors or CEO who face these, even presidents. You may well remember President Cyril Ramaphosa surviving his own motion of no confidence in 2022.
The DA says that they had been approached by anonymous political parties that were disgruntled at the state of Joburg and had pledged to vote with them against Morero.
Morero, on the other hand, appeared unbothered. ANC Johannesburg regional spokesperson Masilo Serekele said: “We are going to crush the no-confidence motion. We constitute over 65% of council votes. The motion to us is a non-starter.”
Meanwhile, GOOD and ActionSA abstained from the vote, with ActionSA saying they would not “defend” Morero despite forming part of Jozi’s ruling coalition, which the ANC leads. The announcement could have changed everything, and Morero could have been ousted. That outcome was unlikely, but the decision must have rattled Morero.
Johannesburg needs a lot of help
But here’s the thing: Joburg needs a leader now. If Morero had lost, his successor would have become the eleventh mayor Jozi would have had since 2016. Mayors generally serve five-year terms unless removed earlier due to a motion of no confidence, resignation or dissolution of council.
The revolving door of mayors since 2011 has left the city in a considerably worse state, with frequent power and water shortages, pockmarked roads have become the norm, and people are getting robbed in broad daylight while others watch. It doesn’t have to be this way.
For example, take New York in the 1980s. It was a city of two extremes, much like Jozi today. On one hand, it was the city where all your dreams could come true, while on the other, it was full of crime, urban decay and economic problems. According to the Manhattan Institute, between 1969 and 1977, New York had lost 600,000 jobs and 200,000 housing units, leading to a rise in crime and hopelessness.
It took a concerted effort from then-Mayor Ed Koch, from 1978 to 1989, to implement measures, like a $5 billion housing programme that created or rehabilitated 180,000 affordable units, that transformed New York into the vibrant city it is today.
Morero could take a leaf from Koch’s book, using stable leadership, municipal land for housing, and public-private partnerships to address Jozi’s power, water, and crime crises. While tough, it can be done.
Should we give him a break?
Well, maybe.
On Tuesday, Eskom and the city, under Morero’s leadership, reached a settlement agreement for Johannesburg’s debt. Morero said the city planned to settle the remaining R3.2 billion in full: “We do spend a particular amount on our bulk purchases. So, we are going to service the settlement with Eskom. We don’t see that there’ll be a challenge in this regard. We will cover those costs.”
And remember the terrifying explosion that ripped through Bree Street in 2023? The Johannesburg Roads Agency has assured us that repairs on what’s now called Lilian Ngoyi Street were “progressing according to schedule and are still on track” for completion by the end of August 2025.
So he’s getting some things right. But not enough and not fast enough. He should be doing more to survive the local government elections next year. With the DA and Helen Zille eyeing Johannesburg, Morero and his coalition should use this time to prove that they’re the best by providing services to people.
He might have dodged the bullet this time, but he might not be so lucky come election time in 2026. Get to work, Mr Mayor. We want Jozi to return to a city where young people can imagine growing and thriving. We want – nay, need – safe parks, safe entertainment areas, and we desperately need to feel the magic that once existed in Jozi again.
Tshego is a writer and law student from Pretoria. A keen follower of social media trends, his interests include high fantasy media, politics, science, talk radio, reading and listening to music.
He is also probably one of the only people left who still play Pokemon Go.
Dada Morero survived his motion of no confidence, but Joburg needs real leadership now
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Johannesburg is deteriorating right in front of our very eyes. Jozi was once a cosmopolitan city on the rise where many South African creatives and thought leaders got their start (we’ve all been to Kitcheners at some point).
But now? The city I used to love and someday imagined living in is crumbling, and the leaders appointed to do something about it are busy squabbling.
What do I mean? Last month, the Democratic Alliance filed motions of no confidence against Joburg mayor Dada Morero and chief whip Sithembiso Zungu. Why? According to the DA, it’s because Joburg was “collapsing under their leadership.”
Morero survived the motion with 75 votes for and 144 against. Forty-three councillors abstained from voting. Zungu was saved by 179 votes.
But that does not mean Joburg is being run properly. In fact, just because Morero and Zungu had the numbers doesn’t mean that they’re in the right. It’s a well-known ANC tactic to use numbers to protect their members. Remember Zuma?
What is this motion?
A motion of no confidence is a formal vote in which members of the highest decision-making body in an organisation vote to oust whoever is leading them. So, for example, say you’re the CEO of a huge company with a board of directors. They can institute a motion of no confidence in your leadership and vote to keep or remove you. And it’s not just mayors or CEO who face these, even presidents. You may well remember President Cyril Ramaphosa surviving his own motion of no confidence in 2022.
The DA says that they had been approached by anonymous political parties that were disgruntled at the state of Joburg and had pledged to vote with them against Morero.
Morero, on the other hand, appeared unbothered. ANC Johannesburg regional spokesperson Masilo Serekele said: “We are going to crush the no-confidence motion. We constitute over 65% of council votes. The motion to us is a non-starter.”
Meanwhile, GOOD and ActionSA abstained from the vote, with ActionSA saying they would not “defend” Morero despite forming part of Jozi’s ruling coalition, which the ANC leads. The announcement could have changed everything, and Morero could have been ousted. That outcome was unlikely, but the decision must have rattled Morero.
Johannesburg needs a lot of help
But here’s the thing: Joburg needs a leader now. If Morero had lost, his successor would have become the eleventh mayor Jozi would have had since 2016. Mayors generally serve five-year terms unless removed earlier due to a motion of no confidence, resignation or dissolution of council.
The revolving door of mayors since 2011 has left the city in a considerably worse state, with frequent power and water shortages, pockmarked roads have become the norm, and people are getting robbed in broad daylight while others watch. It doesn’t have to be this way.
For example, take New York in the 1980s. It was a city of two extremes, much like Jozi today. On one hand, it was the city where all your dreams could come true, while on the other, it was full of crime, urban decay and economic problems. According to the Manhattan Institute, between 1969 and 1977, New York had lost 600,000 jobs and 200,000 housing units, leading to a rise in crime and hopelessness.
It took a concerted effort from then-Mayor Ed Koch, from 1978 to 1989, to implement measures, like a $5 billion housing programme that created or rehabilitated 180,000 affordable units, that transformed New York into the vibrant city it is today.
Morero could take a leaf from Koch’s book, using stable leadership, municipal land for housing, and public-private partnerships to address Jozi’s power, water, and crime crises. While tough, it can be done.
Should we give him a break?
Well, maybe.
On Tuesday, Eskom and the city, under Morero’s leadership, reached a settlement agreement for Johannesburg’s debt. Morero said the city planned to settle the remaining R3.2 billion in full: “We do spend a particular amount on our bulk purchases. So, we are going to service the settlement with Eskom. We don’t see that there’ll be a challenge in this regard. We will cover those costs.”
And remember the terrifying explosion that ripped through Bree Street in 2023? The Johannesburg Roads Agency has assured us that repairs on what’s now called Lilian Ngoyi Street were “progressing according to schedule and are still on track” for completion by the end of August 2025.
So he’s getting some things right. But not enough and not fast enough. He should be doing more to survive the local government elections next year. With the DA and Helen Zille eyeing Johannesburg, Morero and his coalition should use this time to prove that they’re the best by providing services to people.
He might have dodged the bullet this time, but he might not be so lucky come election time in 2026. Get to work, Mr Mayor. We want Jozi to return to a city where young people can imagine growing and thriving. We want – nay, need – safe parks, safe entertainment areas, and we desperately need to feel the magic that once existed in Jozi again.
Tshego Mphahlele
Tshego is a writer and law student from Pretoria. A keen follower of social media trends, his interests include high fantasy media, politics, science, talk radio, reading and listening to music.
He is also probably one of the only people left who still play Pokemon Go.
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