For too long, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has clung to a manufactured myth — that it alone is the benchmark of “clean governance” and fiscal prudence. This arrogant refrain, repeated in every blue pamphlet and press conference, collapses under the weight of actual evidence — especially when held against the City of Johannesburg’s documented audit and financial history.

During the DA-led coalition’s reign in Johannesburg from 2016 onward, the city staggered through instability, misgovernance, and audit embarrassment. Not a single clean audit was secured under their administration — not in 2016/17, 2017/18, or 2018/19. Instead, Auditor-General reports reveal a troubling pattern of:

• Irregular and wasteful expenditure.
• Material misstatements in financial statements.
• Non-compliance with supply chain regulations.
• Breakdown in internal controls.

Yet the DA, in its typical fashion, continues to conflate volume with virtue — shouting louder when they’ve delivered less.

In stark contrast, the ANC under Mayor Dada Morero has quietly, methodically, and steadily repaired the broken machinery of governance. From the moment he assumed leadership, Morero demonstrated what real stewardship looks like in practice — not in political slogans. His administration has:

• Improved audit outcomes, reversing the AGSA’s prior negative findings.
• Strengthened internal financial controls, enhancing accountability and reducing waste.
• Rescued revenue collection systems that were on life support, restoring billing credibility.
• ⁠Stabilised expenditure, adhering to budgeted commitments and cutting unnecessary costs.
• ⁠Strengthened investor confidence, with improved credit ratings and better oversight.
• ⁠Recovered governance legitimacy, especially after the DA-induced coalition chaos.

But Morero’s success is not just in municipal balance sheets. He has elevated Johannesburg onto the global stage. International networks of cities have elected him to leadership positions — a signal of the respect he commands beyond our borders. This is not ceremonial. This is global economic diplomacy in action, and Johannesburg is its beneficiary.

Yet while the DA howls from outside the house, our greatest threat now sits inside it.

The ANC itself — fragmented by internal leadership contestation and factional combat — is perilously close to sabotaging the very success story it should be defending. As the battle for ANC Johannesburg leadership heats up, daggers are drawn, and brothers and sisters tear each other apart, fighting to the hilt. In this political bloodsport, the steady hand of a proven captain is being ignored, doubted, or undermined — not because he’s failed, but because his success disrupts others’ ambitions.

This is political insanity.

Morero has taken Johannesburg through the storm. He did not inherit calm waters; he inherited a ship battered by DA misgovernance and coalition dysfunction. But his compass has been clear, and his direction unwavering. We are no longer floundering in political turbulence — we are on the verge of real progress. But that fragile recovery will not survive if we let narrow ambition kill leadership when we need it most.

If we do not give Morero the full term — and the unified support — to see this mission through, then we are not failing him; we are failing Johannesburg. Failing every resident who deserves water that flows, lights that stay on, roads that are fixed, and bills that make sense.

And let this be clear: if the ANC cannot defend one of its own when he is succeeding, then it surrenders its legitimacy to govern at all. No enemy outside can do to us what we allow from within.

Morero must stay. He must be retained — not out of sentiment, but because the facts demand it:

• Johannesburg’s finances have improved under his administration.
• Service delivery is being restored after years of collapse.
• Global diplomatic ties are being forged and nurtured.
• Investor and community confidence is returning.
• The city is finally stabilising after years of chaos.

These are not theories. These are not party slogans. These are facts — measurable, undeniable, and nationally consequential.

So let the DA rage. Let the factional knives sharpen. But Johannesburg must rise — and for that, we need Morero. Not because he is perfect, but because he is proven. And the future of this city — our city — cannot be entrusted to those who only want power but have no plan.

It’s time to defend what is working.
It’s time to back leadership over ambition.
It’s time to keep the compass steady.

And that compass reads: Mayor Dada Morero.

Stan Itshegetseng is a political commentator and an ANC member in the Greater Johannesburg Region, Gauteng.