The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg has criticised Mayor Dada Morero’s State of the City Address (SOCA), saying it failed to reflect the daily realities faced by residents across the metro.
DA Caucus Leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the mayor’s address overlooked major concerns including infrastructure backlogs, financial pressure and ongoing service delivery problems.
According to Kayser-Echeozonjoku, the speech did little to reassure residents that the city is not facing a deepening crisis, particularly as communities continue to experience the threat of electricity and water interruptions.
DA Raises Concerns Over Johannesburg Infrastructure Backlogs
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the mayor failed to adequately address the city’s financial position and infrastructure challenges.
“He brushed over the finances of the city and hasn’t really given confidence that really the city is not in crisis you know, so it’s a big challenge for us because he hasn’t talked about the massive infrastructure backlog. He brushed over some of these numbers and he has mentioned outdated numbers, what we are doing at the moment as we actually analysing his speech line by line.”
The DA maintains that Johannesburg residents are still grappling with deteriorating infrastructure and unreliable basic services, despite promises made during the address.
IFP Welcomes Political Stability But Flags Maintenance Problems
Meanwhile, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillor and Human Settlements MMC Mlungisi Mabaso said Johannesburg has enjoyed improved political stability since 2024, allowing the administration greater room to focus on implementation and service delivery.
Responding to the SOCA, Mabaso welcomed commitments linked to infrastructure development and housing projects but warned that infrastructure maintenance remains a serious challenge for the city.
He said several strategies announced by the municipality in previous years had not been fully implemented on the ground, limiting progress in service delivery.
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Mabaso also expressed support for Morero’s plans around housing delivery and hostel redevelopment initiatives.
“He spoke a lot about the provision of houses which is going to help to deal with informalities in Johannesburg because majority of our people in the informal settlements still require us to provide them with decent housing.”
“He also spoke about redevelopment of hostels, there’s quite a-lot of work to be done around that we will be introducing a program manager that will talk to the redevelopment of hostels in the city of Johannesburg.”
