City of Johannesburg denies using social media influencers to promote mayor

At first glance of the trending hashtag #JoburgServiceDelivery on X (formerly Twitter), you’d want to relocate to the city if you’re not already a resident.

You would also think Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has pulled a rabbit out of a hat and turned the pothole-ridden City of Gold around.

But if you look deeper, the rabbit is actually a group of social media influencers – from different parts of the country – who are singing Morero’s praises in what appears to be a poorly orchestrated social media campaign.

Suspicious praise for Joburg Mayor Dada Morero

In all of the X posts above, the people disclose that they are social media influencers.

An even closer look at their profiles suggests that some of them do not even live in Johannesburg.

Could this be a paid promo?

The use of the hashtag led some to question what service delivery the social media posts were referring to.

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In reality, they don’t align with the service delivery that Joburg residents experience on a daily basis, such as out-of-service traffic lights, rim-bending potholes, uncovered manholes and faulty street lights.

It’s in stark contrast to the adulation flooding in under the hashtag, which landed on the list of trending topics after Morero officially opened the refurbished Naledi Clinic in Soweto on Wednesday.

According to the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), the R90 million facility reflects its substantial investment in making healthcare accessible to all.

“This new health facility represents a major upgrade from the original Naledi Clinic, which struggled to meet the growing healthcare demands of the community,” said Morero.

“Now, we have a modern, well-equipped clinic designed to promote healthy lifestyles and enhance community wellness.”

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The clinic boasts 20 consultation and counselling rooms across four wings and can accommodate 200 patients in the waiting room.​

While this is laudable, the construction of the clinic alone does not overshadow the visible dilapidation in almost every other area of the city.

City of Joburg denies paid campaign

In a statement, CoJ spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane denied roping in influencers to promote the mayor.

“First and foremost, the insinuations suggesting that the City of Johannesburg has commissioned a social media influencer campaign are wholly incorrect and the city wishes to distance itself from any posts that suggest otherwise,” Modingoane said.

“We can categorically state that the city and mayor has not engaged any influencers, nor has it initiated any paid campaigns on X (formerly Twitter) or any other social media platform to amplify the mayor’s initiatives or highlight his work,” he added.

Modingoane said CoJ actively engages residents through its own platforms using hashtags #JoburgReimagined and #JoburgServices.

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