Ramaphosa Weighs in on Joburg Mayor Battle

THE FIXER... ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa....signals an end to the ‘musical chairs’ of metro leadership, whilst demanding direct accountability. PHOTO: ANC

The widely reported unveiled attempts by the newly elected leadership of the ANC Greater Johannesburg to recall City of Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, have seemingly caught the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has now subsequently rendered remarks on how South Africa’s economic hub should be run.

Speaking at the ‘On the Record’ Summit, hosted by News 24, Ramaphosa departed from his prepared economic remarks to address the leadership crisis currently paralysing the country’s largest metro. He expressed deep concern over how the revolving door of mayoral appointments is af fecting the city’s ability to function as an economic hub. He made it clear that the national government no longer views the chaos in Johannesburg as a mere local political squabble.

“We cannot have a situation where the leadership of our economic hub is a constant game of musical chairs. “Johannesburg needs a strong mayor; it needs a leader with a clear mandate who isn’t looking over their shoulder at the next coalition negotiation every single week,” Ramaphosa remarked.

He noted that his own recent travels through the city revealed a level of decay that could potentially embarrass the nation on the global stage. “I have been travelling through the city recently for various meetings related to our hosting of the G20, and I must say, the state of Johannesburg at this moment is not pleasing. It is, in fact, quite distressing to see the level of decay in certain parts of our City of Gold just as we are preparing to welcome the world’s leaders.”

The President emphasised that the ‘musical chairs’ environment has not only stalled infrastructure projects but has also created a vacuum where basic services like water and road maintenance are failing. He warned that the national government is prepared to move beyond the role of a passive observer to ensure the city’s recovery.

“If Gauteng fails, South Africa fails,” Ramaphosa said, adding that “the national government and the Government of National Unity (GNU) cannot simply be bystanders to the instability we see in the metro., Ramaphosa suggested that if the current mayoral structure cannot provide a functional environment for residents and investors, the central government will exercise its constitutional powers to step in.

He concluded by stating that the window for fixing the city is rapidly closing, whilst calling on all political players to recognise that the stability of Johannesburg is a non-negotiable requirement for the country’s broader growth strategy.

“We have a narrow window to fix what is broken, and we expect the city’s leadership to focus exclusively on that task rather than political survival.”