JOHANNESBURG - With the country’s local government elections approaching, attention is firmly on the major metros and the leaders tasked with fixing them.
In our new segment, Mayor’s Corner, we speak to mayors from around the country about their priorities, challenges, and what they aim to achieve for their cities
The City of Johannesburg, known as the City of Gold, continues to face mounting challenges.
These include persistent water outages, decaying infrastructure, hijacked buildings and widespread illegal electricity connections.
City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero says progress is being made in dealing with hijacked buildings and illegal electricity connections.
He says the bypassing of electricity meters by businesses and private individuals has been a major issue keeping the City busy.
In some instances, evacuations remain a challenge as the City has to find alternative accommodation for displaced residents.
READ: City cracks down on hijacked Bryanston mansion, arrest made
“The majority of us want this to change because it is preventing us from dealing with key issues affecting people,” Morero said.
“Our hands are tied -- it’s budgets, it’s money. That’s why the City is not moving at the speed it should.”
Morero, who has survived two motions of no confidence following postponements, says his priorities going forward include:
• Crime prevention
• By-law enforcement
• Financial sustainability
• Service delivery
“There have been successes, but there have also been significant challenges,” Morero said, reflecting on his tenure as mayor.
He says maintaining a continuous focus on these priorities is critical for the City after the elections and beyond.