Removing Morero not the answer — DA Joburg caucus leader slams call for new mayor's axing

In an unusual turn of events, DA’s Joburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku has come to the defence of mayor Dada Morero, saying she believes a change of mayorship removing him is not the solution to the declining city.

This comes after a petition launched on Monday with more than 13,000 signatures calling for Morero’s removal — just over a week after his  appointment, in contest with Kayser-Echeozonjoku.

Morero came under fire after suggesting the city should hire foreigners as JMPD officers to address language barriers when dealing with foreign suspects. He was later forced to retract his statement after public outrage and a push from ANC Gauteng leaders. 

“We, South Africans, petition for the recall of the current mayor of Johannesburg due to his lack of leadership and vision for the city,” the petition read.

It further made reference to Morero’s “lack of commitment to serving the people”, citing the road damaged by a gas explosion in Lilian Ngoyi Street in the Joburg CBD, and the crisis of hijacked buildings.

“We demand a mayor who leads with integrity, vision, and a commitment to serving the people of Johannesburg. We call for the recall of the current mayor and the election of a new leader who will prioritise the needs and wellbeing of our city.”

However, Kayser-Echeozonjoku told TimesLIVE the change in leadership would only worsen the situation in the city, that is already struggling with crime, unemployment and service delivery.

“In terms of changing mayors, we believe it’s not good for the city. It’s going to cause even more instability in the city,” she said

“We previously requested the dissolution of councils, and it was shut down at the time. This is the type of instability the DA warned about. Changing mayors is not a solution for Johannesburg, especially considering that the same mayoral committee is still part of the executive. As the DA, we know residents want stability, and changing mayors is not going to be good for the residents or service delivery at this point.”

Kayser-Echeozonjoku believes the only solution is fresh municipal elections. “We believe fresh local government elections would be the only thing that would bring stability. In the absence of that, changing the mayor will not make any difference in service delivery; instead, it will bring more instability to the city.”

Despite being against Morero’s removal from office, she expressed a lack of confidence in the new administration of the city: “Only the mayor has changed; the executive is still the same one that resulted in the decline of the city. We have no confidence that there will be any change for the better for residents.”

TimesLIVE