DA’s motion against mayor a self-serving tactic

The editorial, published in The Citizen last Thursday, under the headline “Blame ActionSA for Dada Morero staying” regarding the motion of no confidence in the Johannesburg council, contains basic numerical inaccuracies that demonstrate a lack of understanding of the make-up of the council.

For starters, the council is made up of 270 councillors, with at least 136 required for a vote to pass. ActionSA had 43 votes and the DA 70.

Had ActionSA voted with the DA, it would have translated to a combined tally of 113 votes – way too few votes to pass the motion.

In blaming ActionSA, the editorial deliberately fails to mention this numerical fact.

The editor correctly points out numerous failures by the mayor, all of which have already been raised by ActionSA in council, the Gauteng provincial legislature and parliament.

‘No party hold majority’

If so, why didn’t we support the DA’s motion then, you may ask?

In a coalition administration, where no party holds a majority, consultations to reach consensus are a cornerstone for responsible, successful governance, as demonstrated in the City of Tshwane.

As has become the norm, the DA never consulted ActionSA or other parties – except the African Christian Democratic Party and Freedom Front Plus, which have three and four councillors respectively – to garner support, nor articulated their plan for the city should their motion succeed.

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Stability over political theatre

The City of Joburg has had no less than six mayoral changes since 2021, which has disrupted service delivery.

While Morero’s failures are glaring, collapsing one government without a credible alternative in place is reckless and not in the best interest of residents.

Our decision to abstain was based on principle; to neither defend a failing mayor nor support a frivolous motion for political grandstanding masquerading as a motion to stabilise the city.

It was a decision to neither defend failure nor support chaos.

On the eve of the motion, ActionSA received credible information that the DA and Al Jama-ah had struck a deal to restore Kabelo Gwamanda as mayor if the motion succeeded.

This is the same Gwamanda the DA accused of fraud and laid criminal charges against.

Such conduct exposes the motion as a self-serving tactic, not a plan for better governance.

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‘Our focus is 2026’

With the possibility of further political instability in the city, ActionSA prioritised the need for effective governance and stability over political opportunism.

We prioritised service delivery for residents over party political gimmicks.

ActionSA remains committed to building a credible, stable and ethical alternative government in Johannesburg.

Our focus is on service delivery, not political games.

We are building our structures, engaging communities and preparing for 2026, where voters can finally change the makeup of the council and end the dysfunction and instability caused by the ANC and the DA over the years.

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