Blame ActionSA for Dada Morero staying

If that old saying that “you get the government you deserve” is true, then the long-suffering residents and ratepayers of the City of Gold must be a truly awful lot, given the way the municipality has been run for decades.

Johannesburg’s claim to be a “world-class African city” is a slogan which continues to haunt those who came up with it, so bad is the decay in the richest metro in South Africa.

As the City of Joburg today announces painful increases in its charges for the services it mostly doesn’t deliver, many homeowners are without power – through City Power incompetence or simply through having fallen victim to its capricious and cruel, but inefficient billing system.

Others will queue to replace tyres and rims damaged by the potholes which mushroom daily and still other households will have to walk to a city-supplied water tanker because they having nothing coming out of their taps.

Sitting atop this cesspool of failure is the mayor, Dada Morero, who has just survived a motion of no confidence in council.

ALSO READ: Joburg mayor Dada Morero survives motion of no confidence

In and of himself, he seems quite inoffensive and has tried to go on a charm offensive by halting some increases in charges. But he has done little to save the city.

Not that he could, anyway, because there is far too much left in the trough and the comrades have got to feed. Yet, he is the symbol of failure and, as such, his head should have rolled yesterday.

The fact that it didn’t is down to the expected support from his ANC colleagues, but also to the fact that ActionSA – the ANC’s new best friend – abstained from voting.

Its excuse was laughable: it would not defend him, it claimed. By abstaining, they allowed him to stay… therefore they did defend him.

Politics – 1; Service delivery – Nil.

NOW READ: Joburg speaker removed in vote of no confidence