The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg has submitted motions of no confidence against both Executive Mayor Cllr Dada Morero and Speaker of the City Council Cllr Nobuhle Mthembu, citing a collapse in governance, deteriorating service delivery, and compromised council oversight. According, to the DA, the leadership under Mayor Morero has failed to arrest the city’s rapid decline, with mismanagement, patronage networks, and a lack of transparency characterising the administration. Basic services are reportedly in disarray, with residents experiencing ongoing water outages, broken infrastructure, and unchecked crime.
The Speaker, Cllr Mthembu, is accused of enabling this decline by failing to act impartially and uphold the integrity of council processes. The DA alleges she has shielded the executive from accountability, effectively turning the council chamber into a political stronghold for the Mayor rather than a forum for democratic oversight. The party’s statements paint a picture of an administration gripped by political self-interest at the expense of residents’ needs, warning that the city has become a “political playground” amid worsening socioeconomic conditions. The timing of the motions is also politically significant. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently expressed disappointment at Johannesburg’s governance failures, noting issues such as poor road conditions, recurring water shortages, rampant corruption, broken traffic systems, and rising lawlessness.
