![](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/997&operation=CROP&offset=0x187&resize=997x561.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
ActionSA leader and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has labelled current Mayor Dada Morero \u201cthe most useless mayor\u201d the metro has ever had.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba, who served as Johannesburg\u2019s mayor from 2016 to 2019 under the Democratic Alliance (DA), said that during a sit-down interview with News in Johannesburg on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDada Morero has been one of the biggest disappointments as mayor of the City of Johannesburg,\u201d Mashaba said.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba resigned from both the DA and the mayoralty in 2019 following the re-election of Helen Zille as chairperson of the DA\u2019s federal council. <\/span><\/p>\n He later founded ActionSA in 2020 after facing criticism for alleged xenophobic statements made during his tenure.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba said that after ActionSA reached a coalition agreement with the ANC in the City of Tshwane, following the removal of the DA\u2019s Cilliers Brink in a motion of no confidence, ANC approached his party to join forces in Johannesburg.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter doing the deal with the ANC in the City of Tshwane, they then invited us to work with them in the City of Johannesburg,\u201d Mashaba said. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe said, \u2018Okay, you guys put forward someone, it\u2019s up to you, but please give us a capable person.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added that the ANC nominated Morero, whom ActionSA \u201cdidn\u2019t know,\u201d to be mayor.<\/span><\/p>\n ANC\u2019s Morero, was officially elected mayor for the second time in September 2024 during a special council sitting. <\/span><\/p>\n Morero had previously been elected mayor in September 2022 after the DA\u2019s Mpho Phalatse was removed through a vote of no confidence. <\/span><\/p>\n However, a court later reinstated Phalatse, ruling that her removal had been unlawful.<\/span><\/p>\n The ANC\u2019s successful bid in 2024 was supported by several parties, including ActionSA, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). <\/span><\/p>\n This was after the resignation of Al Jama-ah\u2019s Kabelo Gwamanda, who had been in office since 2023, was accused of weak leadership and poor service delivery. <\/span><\/p>\n Gwamanda succeeded his party colleague Thapelo Amad, who resigned after just three months to avoid a motion of no confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n Morero is the ninth mayor to lead Johannesburg since 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba said that only months after Morero\u2019s appointment, he saw signs that the mayor was struggling to perform.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you two or three months down the line, I started raising red flags around Dada Morero. His focus is not there,\u201d Mashaba said.<\/span><\/p>\n He recalled meeting Morero shortly after his appointment and expressing concern over his choice of Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance, Margret Arnolds.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know how critical that department is\u2026 Without it, you can\u2019t stabilise the city\u2019s finances or improve revenue collection, and service delivery will collapse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba said Morero told him he appointed Arnolds \u201cso that I can control it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI nearly fell off my chair,\u201d Mashaba said. \u201cWhy do you need to control people? Surround yourself with the best people – that\u2019s how you succeed. You don\u2019t surround yourself with people with weaknesses.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba claimed that he immediately raised the issue with ANC leadership at provincial, national, and regional levels.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really been a complete disappointment. I hope the ANC keeps him there, because that would be the final nail in the coffin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Arnolds, an African Independent Congress councillor, resigned as council speaker in August 2024 after being appointed finance MMC under Morero. <\/span><\/p>\n She had served as speaker for about nine months, from November 2023 to August 2024, before stepping down, as rules prohibit holding both positions at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n However, in response to News queries, Khathu Mulaudzi, spokesperson for Morero\u2019s office, said Mashaba\u2019s remarks were unfortunated. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut also unfounded, clearly illustrating a continued pattern of misrepresenting the state of our city for his own political gain.<\/span><\/p>\n According to him, since taking office, Morero has been unwavering in his commitment to restoring stability, enhancing service delivery, revitalising critical infrastructure, and strengthening the city\u2019s financial position. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese efforts are ongoing, measurable, and the residents of Johannesburg are witnessing significant progress, particularly through the high-impact and accelerated service delivery programmes actively underway in all regions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He said Morero inherited a city that was severely weakened by years of instability, including what he said was the \u201cdisastrous\u201d administration led by Mashaba. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHis term left critical departments depleted and numerous programmes abandoned. It is, therefore, both ironic and disingenuous for Mashaba to deflect responsibility for his own dysfunctional legacy by targeting a leadership that is diligently rectifying the fallout of his tenure,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n He said the mayor remains steadfastly focused on his mandate and rubbished Mashaba\u2019s comments as mere baseless political rhetoric. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe claim that the mayor seeks to \u201ccontrol\u201d the finance department reveals a gross misunderstanding of the city\u2019s governance processes. The Mayor\u2019s focus is paying dividends in stabilising the governance and financial sustainability as evidenced by the two recent results of the independent credit rating agencies about the outlook of the city\u2019s finance which demonstrate that the tide is turning in Johannesburg,\u201d Mulaudzi added.<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, turning to the upcoming G20 summit, scheduled to be held in Johannesburg from 22\u201323 November, Mashaba said the city was not ready to host such a high-profile international gathering.<\/span><\/p>\n Although the city has intensified service delivery operations and there have been visible improvements, critics remain unconvinced.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy do we have to do this only for the G20?\u201d Mashaba asked. \u201cWe should have maintained the city all along. Some of these projects are still far behind, and the city centre remains unsafe and neglected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Opposition parties in Gauteng have also argued that Johannesburg is not ready to host the summit due to persistent service delivery failures, including water and electricity shortages, potholes, decaying infrastructure, uncollected waste, and non-functioning streetlights and traffic signals.<\/span><\/p>\n Mashaba further raised concerns about crime and policing in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat are we going to do about crime when there\u2019s no real leadership in our law enforcement agencies?\u201d he said. \u201cThe NPA is struggling, and we don\u2019t have leadership in the police.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the criticism, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed during a media briefing earlier this week on the state of preparedness for the upcoming gathering that the province will host the G20 summit as planned.<\/span><\/p>\n simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za<\/span><\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ActionSA leader and former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has labelled current Mayor Dada Morero \u201cthe most useless mayor\u201d the metro has ever had. Mashaba, who served as Johannesburg\u2019s mayor from 2016 to 2019 under the Democratic Alliance (DA), said that during a sit-down interview with News in Johannesburg on Tuesday. \u201cDada Morero has been one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":259892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[17540,12353,13211,2490,9820,2017,12354,1037,19596,89],"class_list":["post-259891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-039most","tag-dada","tag-herman","tag-joburg","tag-mashaba","tag-mayor","tag-morero","tag-slams","tag-useless039","tag-watch"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n