G20 host city won’t further disappoint, says mayor Dada Morero

After President Cyril Ramaphosa concluded his Gauteng oversight visit at the Johannesburg city council chamber on Friday, mayor Dada Morero assured residents the city won't disappoint any further.

Morero was speaking at the Gauteng legislature where Ramaphosa met provincial leaders as part of his intervention strategy.

The mayor said the city council aims to put more effort into solving challenges before hosting the G20 summit in November. 

“We are ready to host the G20 summit. Johannesburg is a gateway to Africa and the rest of the world.  This adds an interesting flavour to our G20 presidency as no other nation can make the same claim.”

Morero has come under fire, with many calling for his head and residents complaining that the city continues to decay under his leadership.

On Thursday Ramaphosa told the city council he was disappointed by the state of the metro when the city hosted G20 foreign ministers earlier this month.

Morero was elected mayor in a coalition government which includes ActionSA. He said the city plans to come up with complex innovative solutions to resolve recurring problems that are structural, systematic and financial.

“Incremental steps to solve Gauteng's challenges include strengthening oversight mechanisms on municipal entities to reduce irregular expenditure and improve financial transparency, and to organise water, electricity and ICT infrastructure to meet the growing demand,” he said.

Morero said he requested the president's intervention to help with challenges facing the city.

Last week he was criticised when he told council he was fixing the city in preparation for the G20 gathering.

“It is not true we are providing services because of the G20. Every day we are on the ground fixing the city with the partnership of Jozi My Jozi, taxi associations and property owners. The process of resolving issues has been put into place.’’

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