ActionSA Johannesburg caucus leader Marcel Coutriers has announced that the party will abstain from the motion of no confidence against City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, expected to be debated during a council sitting in Braamfontein today.
Speaking to the media ahead of the sitting, Coutriers delivered a scathing assessment of Morero’s performance, describing his achievements as “non-existent” and accusing his administration of failing residents.
“The service delivery that he has been doing has been minimal. I have to think very, very hard to say, okay, this is what he has done,” Coutriers said.
“Let’s put it out there I think many residents know that he has been a useless mayor,” he added.
Despite this criticism, Coutriers explained that ActionSA would not support the motion, arguing that there is no credible alternative government being proposed by those tabling it.
“We will abstain from the motion of no confidence being tabled against Dada Morero in Johannesburg. While his administration has been objectively disastrous, there is no clear or credible alternative plan for better government being presented. This motion risks becoming yet another round of musical chairs in the mayoralty, with no tangible benefit for residents,” he said.
Coutriers stressed that Johannesburg’s deepening governance and service delivery crisis cannot be resolved simply by changing mayors.
“It must centre on a concrete programme of action that can reverse the collapse in service delivery and ensure residents are front and centre,” he said.
He added that ActionSA would not be drawn into what he described as political manoeuvring within a coalition that has struggled to work together, warning against repeating past mistakes.
“ActionSA will not be responsible for inadvertently installing another Kabelo Gwamanda,” Coutriers said, referring to the former mayor whose short tenure was marked by instability.
Coutriers also noted that the party adopted a similar approach when the Democratic Alliance previously brought a motion of no confidence, which ActionSA believed lacked consultation and a viable governing alternative.
“Residents of Joburg deserve better than these never-ending theatrics. We stand ready to support any well-thought-through plan backed by a credible turnaround strategy to fix Johannesburg,” he said, adding that elections may ultimately be the only solution to restore stability in the metro.
Meanwhile, ANC Johannesburg Regional Spokesperson Mantombi Nkosi has rejected what the party called “reckless and misleading statements” from the Minority Governing Parties, accusing them of interfering in the ANC’s internal processes.
Nkosi said the deployment, recall or resignation of ANC leaders is determined solely by the party’s constitutional structures and not by coalition partners or public pressure.
“The ANC does not take instructions from coalition partners, media pressure or opportunistic political theatrics. Any suggestion that external forces can coerce the movement into decisions is both false and arrogant,” Nkosi said.
She dismissed claims of leadership paralysis as a distortion aimed at hiding instability caused by unreliable coalition conduct.
“The ANC’s commitment to consultation reflects organisational maturity and respect for democratic process, not weakness,” Nkosi added.
Nkosi reaffirmed the party’s commitment to governing Johannesburg and restoring stability and service delivery.
