Petition to recall Joburg mayor hits 10 000 signatures in one day

An online petition to remove City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has reached 10 000 signatures within a day of its launch.

Morero, an African National Congress (ANC) councillor, is two weeks into his second stint as mayor and has already courted controversy with his comments.

The mayor recently said that foreigners should be hired by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) to assist law enforcement because they can speak foreign African languages.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi shot this idea down and Morero has since apologised for his comments.

Petition launched by user in Pretoria

This is just one of the four reasons the petition calls on the Joburg council to remove Morero.

‘Recall The Mayor of Johannesburg’ was launched on Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon the petition had 10 606 signatures.

“We, South Africans, petition for the recall of the current Mayor of Johannesburg due to his lack of leadership and vision for the city,” the change.org petition declared.

The petition was started by MadiBoity, whose change.org account shows no information other than the user is based in Pretoria.

There is also a page of user comments on the petition calling for the mayor to be removed.

User Sandile Mbatha commented, “Dada Morero must fall, he’s spitting on the South African faces by announcing his plan to employ foreigners in a country where unemployment of the citizens is very high.”

Gift Nkosi commented he is signing the petition because he wants a mayor who will prioritise the needs of South Africans first, without fear or favour.

ALSO READ: ‘We’ll push this carriage until 2026’: New Joburg mayor Morero promises service delivery

Mismanagement and inaction cited in petition

The petition itself lists a handful of reasons why Morero should be recalled, namely:

1. Disregard for the law: The Mayor has expressed intention to hire foreign nationals into the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), contravening the South African Constitution and immigration laws.
2. Lack of accountability: The Mayor has stated that citizens should not expect too much from him, demonstrating a lack of commitment to serving the people.
3. Mismanagement of city infrastructure: The Mayor has indicated no desire to repair the road damaged by the gas explosion at the Bree Taxi Rank and instead proposes to convert the area into a park, which is an odd idea. 
4. Inaction on hijacked buildings: The Mayor has shown no effective plan to address the crisis of hijacked buildings in the city, leaving residents and business owners vulnerable.

ALSO READ: CBD slums to studios? Abandoned buildings to be given to young entrepreneurs – Joburg mayor

The first time he was mayor

Morero was first elected mayor of Johannesburg in September 2022, after the  Democratic Alliance’s Mpho Phalatse was removed in a motion of no confidence.

But the reign only lasted about a month, after the Joburg High Court found the sitting was illegal and Phalatse was reinstated as mayor

Additional reporting by Faizel Patel and Itumeleng Mafisa.