Dada Morero, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg. Gallo Images/Lubabalo Lesolle
* Editor's note: Please be aware that the video attached above contains strong language.
JOHANNESBURG - Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has apologised after a heated exchange with a resident during a service delivery meeting in Tshepisong on Thursday.
Morero was responding to a resident who repeatedly accused him of being a criminal during the meeting, held at the Abundant Faith Centre.
In a video of the exchange, which has gone viral on social media, the resident can be heard repeatedly telling Morero, who was on the podium, that he is a criminal.
“I’m not a criminal. Don’t ever do that again. You are old,” Morero is heard responding in the video.
The resident continues shouting, prompting a visibly angry Morero to respond: “You are talking sh*t.”
Morero later apologised for his remarks in a video posted on the City of Johannesburg’s official X account.
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“I would like to profusely and unconditionally apologise for my utterances. It should not have been done in that fashion, and I do take full responsibility,” he said.
Morero said he had also apologised to the resident in person and that the resident had accepted his apology.
“I do apologise for the conduct of that meeting,” he said.
The meeting was convened to address ongoing electricity problems affecting the Tshepisong community.
Morero told residents that the City would begin the normalisation process on Monday, including conducting the necessary audits to determine whether the area’s electricity infrastructure has sufficient capacity to meet demand.
He also confirmed that the City would address illegal electricity connections in the area.
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