Morero Points Finger at DA for Joburg’s R23.6bn Crisis, Says City Paying Price for Past Misrule

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has come out swinging, laying the blame for the city’s deepening financial crisis squarely at the door of the Democratic Alliance (DA)-led coalition, which he says left behind a legacy of “mismanagement, neglect, and non-compliance.”

Addressing the media at the Joburg Theatre on Thursday, Morero unpacked the city's R23.6 billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure (UIFW), calling it a “direct consequence of failures by the previous administration to follow financial laws, fix broken systems, and take accountability.”

Morero’s remarks follow a damning letter from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, sent on 30 July, raising alarm over Johannesburg’s apparent failure to comply with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

The minister gave the city 14 days to respond — a deadline Morero says his office met with a full breakdown of the crisis and its origins.“It must be understood that the city’s financial crisis did not begin yesterday,” said Morero.

“This R23.6 billion figure is not the result of one year’s missteps. It is the result of years of cumulative damage, largely caused by the DA-led coalition and its inability to govern the city responsibly.”

Morero accused the DA of allowing unlawful expenditure to pile up while failing to implement mechanisms for oversight and accountability. In particular, he criticised their refusal to activate the city’s disciplinary board, which is mandated to investigate financial misconduct. “For years, they simply looked the other way,” he said.

“They did not establish the disciplinary board. They did not regularise irregular spending. And now, our administration is left to deal with the aftermath.”

According to the 2023/24 financial statements, the UIFW figure includes R13 billion in unauthorised expenditure, R9.9 billion in irregular expenditure, and R735 million in fruitless expenditure.