Joburg Mayor Dada Morero launches 'Bomb Squad' to tackle crime and grime plaguing the city
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero delivered his state of the city address at the city council on Wednesday.
Councillors aligned the ANC in the Joburg Council broke out into chants of praise when City Mayor Dada Morero announced that he will be introducing a 'Bomb Squad' to tackle the city's dire state.
The bomb squad will be led by ANC veteran, Snuki Zikalala, Morero revealed during his State of the City address (SOCA) at the Johannesburg Council on Wednesday.
According to the mayor, this was part of the turnaround plan for the city.
In military language, a bomb squad has the responsibility of examining and removing bombs that are found and preventing them from exploding.
'This COJ Bomb Squad must remove constraints that impact the City's ability to create the Joburg we want to see,' Morero explained.
Zikalala is the ANC Veterans' League (ANCVL) president and former head of the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
The bomb squad will swing into operational from June.
This will add to the Presidential Task Force that was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March - who bemoaned the dire state of the inner city recently.
Some of Morero's plans included adding an economic work stream within the presidential package, declaring a State of Disaster for crime and lawlessness from July 2025, and also declaring war on potholes, illegal connection, land invasion, illegal mining operations, illegal dumping and undocumented migrants.
To achieve an inclusive city, Morero further urged residents to take care of the city and ensure that their environment was safe and secure.
[email protected]
IOL Politics
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
2 hours ago
- The Herald
Joburg and Tshwane 'proud' to host international community
'These pressures require more than conversation, but rather co-ordination, commitment and action. By hosting these meetings, we are ensuring that Africa's voice is not only present but is actively shaping the G20 agenda at the highest level. 'As African city leaders we are told that there is a table but we do not have a seat at that table. The intent to host the African Mayors' assembly alongside the U20 Sherpa meeting is to create a table that we deserve, reflect on the challenges we are facing but also, exchange ideas in what we are doing to solve our issues,' Moya said. Morero detailed the four priorities of the U20 agenda. He described the priorities as deeply reflective of South Africa's developmental trajectory but also resonant with global urban realities. 'The first is economic opportunities and urban financing — focused on unlocking investment pipelines for cities and closing the growing infrastructure gap, as well as climate action and urban resilience — recognising that cities must be both front-line responders and proactive planners in an age of climate disruption. 'The third pillar is social inclusion and equity — asserting that urban transformation must dismantle historical inequalities and build a future that leaves no-one behind. Lastly, digital transformation and Innovation — embracing the digital shift not as a luxury but as a public good that enhances how cities function and serve.' Morero said these priorities were endorsed by participating cities across the G20 network and later became the foundation of the U20 communique. 'Throughout the past few months, we have deepened this agenda through a series of high-impact webinars. These platforms drew in a broad spectrum of voices — from the global north and global s outh, from academia, civil society, and the private sector — reflecting the power of shared urban dialogue in shaping solutions that are not only ambitious but grounded in real experience. 'In September, Johannesburg will host the culminating event: the U20 Mayoral Summit, from September 12 to 14. This will be a landmark occasion — not only for our city, but for our nation. 'Here, mayors, Sherpas, and city networks from across the G20 will convene to deliberate, to endorse the final U20 Communique, and to reaffirm the role of cities in solving the grand challenges of our time,' Morero said. TimesLIVE
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
MK Party rejects Helen Zille's 'nonsensical' Joburg mayoral run
UMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has rejected the Democratic Alliance's possible mayoral candidate in Joburg for the 2026 local government elections Helen Zille. Zille, who was born and bred in Hillbrow, where she worked for the Rand Daily Mail as a journalist during apartheid, has expressed her desire to run for mayor in the City of Johannesburg. She previously served as the leader of the Blue Party from 2007 to 2015 and also served as the Premier of the Western Cape for two five-year terms. In an interview with Radio 702 on Monday, 9 June, Zille said she would consider being mayor because South Africa can't succeed if Johannesburg remains broken as it is the country's economic capital, and it must be fixed. 'South Africa can be on the road to success but we've got to fix it bit by bit and I've always said that's gonna start with local government. That's why we put all our eggs into trying to win somewhere at the local level, demonstrating better governance and building from there, from the bottom up. I've always said that is the way to transform South Africa and that is what we're doing,' she said. Reacting to the news, the MK Party said 'it is nonsensical to consider the possibility of a Capetonian holding mayoral capacity in a city that she is alien to' given the number of qualified men and women who reside in the city of gold. The party said it is vital to remind 'Helen Zille and her cronies' that the current state of disarray found in the City of Johannesburg is courtesy of absent mayor Dada Morero and has resulted in the metropolitan municipality being brought to its knees. 'Dada Morero and the ANC should hang their heads in shame for emboldening a white supremacist and giving her the confidence to believe that she can adequately run this city,' MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said. Ndhlela also called on Johannesburg residents to 'reject the propaganda that the DA does not see colour. As shown in the City of Cape Town, the DA's priorities tend to shift depending on the race of the residents.' 'There are more than enough black candidates that can adequately fulfill the mayoral mandate in the City of Johannesburg. The MK Party remains steadfast in our belief that the failures of the ANC should not be recycled, nor should they rest on the shoulders of candidates who want to effect real change,' Ndhlela said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Could Helen Zille be what's best for Joburg?
Zille may not be everyone's cup of tea, but her controversial style might be just what the Joburg needs to recover. Helen Zille is unlikely to be called 'diplomatic'; 'arrogant' and 'abrasive' describe her political style more accurately. Yet, do we, as residents of the evolving train smash that is the city of Joburg, want hearts and flowers… or do we want someone who does the job? That job would be the herculean task of turning around Joburg after decades of mismanagement and corruption – some of it, it must be said, emanating from the time Zille's own DA ran the metro – and Zille has indicated she is considering running for the job of mayor. That suggestion has had multiple DA-haters – led by the embittered ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba – crawling out of the woodwork to scream their opposition. Mashaba is flashing his newly acquired race card with great gusto, remarking: 'These people do not have confidence in black leaders. They have proven beyond reasonable doubt that they do not believe in black excellence.' ALSO READ: Zille to the rescue: Will she save Joburg as the city's mayor? Not so long ago, when he was in the DA fold as mayor of the city himself, Mashaba would often pillory the ANC for playing race politics… but clearly this game changes everyone. What Zille does have is a track record nobody else does: as mayor of Cape Town between 2006 and 2009, she helped stabilise a demoralised and under-skilled city bureaucracy brought to its knees by previous ANC rule. That's according to an analysis done not by a DA praise singer, but by an academic at a leading American university. It is true that the DA is accused of neglecting black townships in Cape Town, but many of those residents are still better off than they are in ANC-run towns and cities. Former Wits University chancellor Adam Habib said on social media that Zille would be 'Johannesburg's best hope'. What have we got to lose – apart from our potholes? NOW READ: ActionSA-ANC slams Zille's plans for Joburg: 'They do not believe in black excellence'
