ActionSA Gauteng chairperson Funzi Ngobeni has announced that it will abstain from the motion of no confidence against Dada Morero at the council meeting on Wednesday.
He noted that this decision might provoke retaliation from the ANC regarding the motion against the speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, who is a member of ActionSA.
ActionSA and the ANC had united to take power in Johannesburg and Tshwane.
However, Ngobeni highlighted that ActionSA only joined the government of local unity on an issue-by-issue basis to help stabilise the city, not to shield poor leadership.
“We remain unequivocal in our view that Dada Morero has failed in his leadership of the City of Johannesburg. Across Johannesburg, it has become a universal reality that service delivery is collapsing,” Ngobeni said.
“Water and electricity outages have become commonplace, road infrastructure is at its worst, and institutions like City Power are becoming wholly dysfunctional.”
Betrayal of trust
He also criticised Moreo for his “unacceptable” responses to the crisis. He stated that Morero had said big changes should not be expected during his reign and that G20 routes be prioritised.
According to Ngobeni, the mayor has also failed to recruit permanent senior managers and labelled the recently announced Bomb Squad as a gimmick.
In addition, Ngobeni pointed out that Morero had broken his pledge to remove the R230 electricity surcharge, which he said was intolerable and betrayed the confidence of the elderly.
ActionSA will abstain from the motion today, as we will not defend this mayor, even if it costs us in the impending vote against our speaker. ActionSA will never compromise the interests of Johannesburg residents for positions,” Ngobeni said.
He clarified that there is no trust in Morero to lead Johannesburg, but he also chastised the DA for its “scheming approach” that did not involve other parties or offer an alternative government plan.
Support for Kabelo Gwamanda
He said collapsing a government with no solid plan would lead the city to further dismay, highlighting that the DA has failed in four different attempts to restore the coalition under former mayor Mpho Phalatse.
According to Ngobeni, the government of local unity partner Al Jama-Ah went to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba and offered to support the motion against Morero.
Al Jama-ah, said Ngobeni, claimed that the DA had agreed to support Kabelo Gwamanda’s return as mayor despite previously laying criminal charges against him.
“This is a shocking revelation, given that the DA was one of the parties that laid criminal charges against Gwamanda over allegations of defrauding people in a funeral plan scheme.
“In the absence of the DA communicating any clear plans for an alternative government, ActionSA cannot support its motion, especially after learning of its duplicitous intention to restore Kabelo Gwamanda to the mayoralty of Johannesburg.”
