City of Joburg mayor Dada Morero insists ‘Bomb Squad' appointment is not a sign of weakness
Image: IOL Graphic
City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has denied that appointing the 'Bomb Squad', a team comprising ANC- and EFF-linked members, former city managers, and executives, indicates weakness or a failure to address the city's ongoing challenges.
Earlier, IOL News reported that the team was officially announced on Thursday during a media briefing at the Soweto Hotel in Kliptown.
Morero said the team will focus on addressing 'crime and grime,' lawlessness, service delivery bottlenecks, and fast-tracking municipal turnaround efforts.
He insisted the initiative does not reflect an inability on his part to govern effectively, and blamed the city's decline on previous administrations.
'It's not a thing that is acknowledged in the decline that has happened in the city since 2016, and now we want to arrest and change this,' Morero said.
'In general, the city has resources out there.'
Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, led the administration in 2016.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
The metro faces multiple challenges, including hijacked buildings, chronic water shortages, rolling blackouts, pothole-riddled roads, broken traffic signals, rampant crime, and municipal corruption.
Residents have repeatedly voiced concerns about the city's inability to resolve these issues.
Morero first introduced the Bomb Squad during his State of the City Address (SOCA) in May.
The team is led by ANC Veterans League president Dr. Snuki Zikalala and includes several figures, such as former city managers Blake Mosley-Lefatole, Mavela Dlamini, and Professor Trevor Fowler.
Also joining are Gerald Dumas, a former chief operations officer, and Reggie Boqo, the city's former group chief financial officer.
Philisiwe Twala-Tau will represent the South African Local Government Association, focusing on governance. Vicky Shuping, an advisor to the mayor, will coordinate service delivery and urban management.
Meanwhile, Busani Ngwani, of the National School of Government and the Group Performance Audit Committee, will work on improving governance.
The team also includes Dr. Kwezi Mabasa of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and EFF senior researcher Dr. Gumani Tshimomola, both of whom will contribute to economic development planning.
Audrey Mothupi, CEO of Systemic Logic Group, will handle private sector partnerships.
Morero said most of the members are volunteering their services and are already employed within Johannesburg or other municipalities.
Only Zikalala will receive a salary, he said.
'You are saying we volunteer our money, our time, resources, and expertise to help you turn around,' Morero said.
'We have acknowledged that we've had a stubborn environment in changing our financial status.'
He said the city needs at least three financial experts to help turn around its finances, addressing issues such as overspending and budget inefficiencies.
'That is why we believe this team will give the necessary support to the current executives who do accept that, yes, there are inefficiencies,' he told the media.
'I also had a meeting with the executives to introduce the Bomb Squad, which was widely received.'
Morero said the mayoral committee supports the initiative and has even proposed additional names.
'They've made other recommendations with the collective ownership of the mayoral committee. It's not a duplication, it's a support mechanism where there are gaps and weaknesses,' he said.
He added that while there is no timeline for the 'Bomb Squad,' they hope to see major progress within the next year.
He said he aims to leave a financial surplus of R5 billion by June 2026.
'We want to grow the economy of the city by another 1% to 3% in the next five years,' Morero said.
'It requires that those focusing on economic growth help us implement policies to achieve that goal.'
He emphasised that the team's mandate is to support, not replace existing city departments and enhance service delivery.
'These are individuals who are not employed by the city but are volunteering to give support and share their expertise,' Morero said.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL Politics
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
39 minutes ago
- IOL News
South Africa's housing crisis deepens as R34 billion budget faces backlash over corruption and inefficiency
DA and EFF slam Simelane's budget, raising concerns over a VBS-linked loan, stalled projects, and inflation's impact on delivery amid a 2.3 million-unit housing backlog. Political parties have rejected the Department of Human Settlements' R34 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year, accusing the department of mismanagement, inefficiency, and making promises that will not materialise. Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament Luyuyo Mphiti, quoting President Cyril Ramaphosa, warned that unchecked corruption threatens to erode faith in democracy itself. 'If corruption is not arrested, the greatest damage will not be in the funds stolen, the jobs lost, or the services not delivered. The greatest damage will be in the belief in democracy itself.' Mphiti pointed to what he called a 'catastrophic collapse' within the department, citing ongoing investigations, suspensions, and resignations of senior officials across major housing entities such as the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), and the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC). He criticised the appointment of Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, referring to corruption allegations and an active SAPS investigation. This comes after revelations that, during her tenure as mayor at the Polokwane Municipality, Simelane took a loan from Gundo Wealth Solutions through the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton. 'Minister Simelane cannot be trusted with a single rand, let alone R33 billion of this budget,' Mphiti said. 'The dysfunction is impeding the delivery of affordable housing in our country.' Simelane tabled the Department of Human Settlements' 2025/26 Budget Vote under the theme 'Leveraging technologies for resilient, sustainable human settlements,' pledging to deliver over 41,944 housing units, 32,250 serviced sites, 3,000 social housing units, and eradicate 8,047 mud houses.
Mail & Guardian
2 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
MK party officials to discuss errant behaviour of Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and Nhlamulo Ndhlela
Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) uMkhonto weSizwe ( Zuma-Sambudla's father, party president Mail & Guardian . They said Sambudla‑Zuma and Ndhela had approached Zuma, attempting to influence him and to disparage parliamentary caucus leader Colleen Makhubele and parliamentary leader and deputy president On Tuesday, eNCA reported that it had seen a letter addressed to Zuma, in which the party's caucus in parliament called for Makhubele to be removed from her position, saying her pro-Israel stance betrayed the party's values. According to the news channel, the MPs also said Makkhubele posed a threat to party unity and had demonstrated poor leadership and conduct that alienated members. In another leaked letter, dated 23 June, addressed to Ndhela and copied to Zuma, Hlophe said he wanted to formally inform the party spokesperson that he had been removed from the whippery team in parliament, effective immediately. The source said Ndhlela and Zuma-Sambudla had tried to use the alleged letter against Makhubele to deflect from 'the storm' brewing against Ndhlela. 'They saw the letter from the deputy president (copied) to the president. The plan was basically: 'How do we destabilise this storm that's coming?' So they decided to run with some fake stories. All the caucus members said they didn't know anything about a letter [against Makhubele] … No one has signed any letter,' the source said. 'Remember when the caucus leader was with the In his letter to Ndhela, Hlophe charged him with: Disrespectful communication: Repeated instances of rude, arrogant and dismissive communication toward parliamentary members, including senior leadership, undermining the dignity and collaborative spirit needed in the whippery team. Obstruction of parliamentary communications: Hindering the communications team's work with parliamentary members in press briefings and statement releases, causing delays and damaging the party's public image. Undermining unity and collaboration: Creating divisions among parliamentary members through perceived factional and counterproductive behaviour, contrary to the party's principles of unity and collective action. Hlophe gave Ndhela 21 days to appeal the decision. The behaviour of Sambudla-Zuma has also been slammed by the party's former secretary general, Folyd Shivambu and expelled MK party founder Jabulani Khumalo. In February, Zuma-Sambudla had to apologise to Shivambu after insulting him on social media platform X while Khumalo accused her of influencing Zuma into making decisions which were not good for the party. Asked by the M&G last month — after her appointment as chief whip — how long she expected to remain in the position given the party's reputation for frequently removing officials, Makhubele said she was unperturbed, insisting that for a new party such as the MK, changes were normal and people needed to adapt. 'At whatever point the leadership feels they need a new skill to stabilise the caucus, to take the caucus in a new direction, they will make those decisions,' she said. This week, another source said Ndhela and Sambudla‑Zuma generally ignored party structures and resisted being told what to do. 'Manyi was just trying to nurse their egos. Whoever comes and tries to run things organisationally, they do not like it — they want to be in charge,' the source said, referring to former parliamentary chief whip Mzwanele Manyi who was removed in May and replaced by Makhubele. They accused Ndhlela and Zuma-Sambudla of behaving as if they were founding members of the MK party and who believed they could not be told what to do. The second source also said no letter calling for Makhubele's removal had ever been signed by the party's MPs. 'Where is this letter? People were asked if they signed it, but no one said they did. There's nothing signed by members of parliament. We are having a meeting tomorrow and no one has signed any letter.' The MK party's head of presidency, 'I don't preempt the agenda. I'm part of the committee that drafts it. I'm not panicking about what's in it or not. Tomorrow [Thursday] the agenda will be finalised. If the matter must be on the agenda, it will be — but it can't be a meeting just for that item,' he said. Mzobe said he didn't understand why party members were creating a non-existent urgency about the meeting, saying officials' meetings happen regularly 'every fortnight night' in the party. 'It's a standard meeting — these meetings always include reports from parliament. A parliamentary report is a regular item. In the governance report, always delivered by the deputy president, he updates the meeting on what's happening in parliament,' he said, adding that this particular one had been originally set for this week but was postponed because of a bereavement in the Zuma family. 'The agenda isn't decided until Thursday, when all issues are brought forward. I don't know where this assumption came from that one specific thing will be discussed when there is no agenda yet,' Mzobe added. 'I don't know why people are anxious about the agenda. People are told there's a meeting and everyone brings their items. I'm meeting the president today or tomorrow. I don't know why people think we'll discuss that issue in a standard meeting and not an urgent meeting.' Asked whether the party would address the alleged theft of R7 million raised by In the media briefing, Shivambu said Zuma was surrounded by 'political scoundrels' who exploited his vulnerability in old age to create false intelligence reports and mislead him with the aim of embezzling money from MK. 'They are withdrawing not less than R7 million from the organisation's coffers. We are addressing this internally, warning them: stop what you are doing because you're going to get the party deregistered as a political party,' he said. This week Mzobe told the M&G: 'I can't say we are sitting to look at the R7 million specifically. There is a financial report that must give us what we need to know, and there's a governance report that must tell us what's happening in parliament. We're not panicking just because something's trending as a headline — it doesn't require an urgent meeting.' Makhubele and Hlophe were due to brief the media on Thursday on the latest developments in parliament, including ongoing budget votes.
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
Malema's revenge politics puts ANC on notice
Julius Malema could be using the no-confidence threat to pressure the ANC, warning that arrogance will cost the party once again. EFF leader Julius Malema has vowed the EFF will vote with the DA to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa in the mooted motion of no confidence. If this move is successful, it could see DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen becoming the first white president since the dawn of democracy in 1994. Malema warns of 'white president' 'I want to warn you that this country will have a white president. Steenhuisen will be president if the ANC is behaving the way it is doing,' said Malema yesterday. 'The motion of no confidence will come, we will vote with the DA. Then, when it is time elect a president, we will abstain and the ANC will lose.' Although Malema undertook to vote with the DA, he said his party is not working with the DA. However, the tone of Malema's threat to vote out Ramaphosa appeared to be a complete rejection, but it also indicated a readiness to compromise – a veiled attempt to lure the ANC into agreeing to cooperate with the EFF. MK party's silence However, Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party remains a dark horse in the debate, as it has not yet expressed its stance on the matter. Some analysts believe it could surprise everybody by voting in Ramaphosa's favour and, later, make demands to the ANC to accommodate it in the government of national unity (GNU), or strike a deal on Zuma's criminal charges. ALSO READ: What do you think of Malema's Bill to nationalise the Reserve Bank? Political analyst Prof Dirk Kotzé said MK would usually vote against any DA proposal, which made it likely for them to side with Ramaphosa. At the same time, the party could abstain to avoid being associated with either side as they also had issues with Ramaphosa, said Kotzé. Is there room for persuasion? There were fears that if all the political parties voted to oust Ramaphosa, considering the top four parties could cooperate to push him out, the president would be out. However, pre-vote dealmaking was imminent, especially with traditional ANC-backing parties such as Al Jama-ah, Patriotic Alliance, United Democratic Movement, Pan Africanist Congress and others likely to support Ramaphosa's stay. But Malema cautioned some of these parties could be persuaded by their Israeli and big business funders to remove Ramaphosa. 'A worse situation for the DA' But Kotzé, who doubts the no-confidence motion could happen, said if it did, there was a chance of a 50-50% split to have Ramaphosa ousted. He said the ANC needed only 10% plus one to ensure Ramaphosa stayed in power. 'If the DA removed Ramaphosa, what is the option for them? It will be a worse situation for the DA if Ramaphosa is removed,' he said. ALSO READ: WATCH: 'Even Donald Trump is scared of the EFF' – Malema 'I think the DA is not serious about the motion; it's just part of its strategy to push the president to agree to its demands.' The move is also seen as Malema's revenge against Ramaphosa, who excluded the EFF from the GNU. Malema said when the EFF and ANC vote percentages were tallied, along with those of pro-ANC smaller parties like Patriotic Alliance, ActionSA, and others, they would exceed 50%, which would ensure Ramaphosa was saved. Malema blames ANC arrogance for its decline He said the EFF warned the ANC in 2016, but the party never believed it. 'Now it's going to happen because the ANC had been arrogant. Even when it was humbled by the voters, it still acted in an arrogant manner. 'When [the ANC] are voting with us, they win. But when they don't vote with us, they lose. The decline started in 2016, when they lost the metros,' he said. 'It's going to happen again if they are not going to change their attitude. We are going to fold our arms and they will lose again.' NOW READ: Malema promises urgent aid for Mthatha flood victims, calls on the wealthy to help
