WATCH | Mashaba created ‘weak leadership’ in Joburg which affected service delivery - Morero

Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, said that during the term of Herman Mashaba as mayor in 2016, there was weak leadership within the city due to baseless allegations that many are still trying to clear themselves of.

Speaking before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), Morero said Mashaba accused many in the city of corruption, leading to many not doing their jobs. He said this has resulted in the backlogs the city is now facing.

This matter was raised during the question-and-answer segment after the city had presented its stand on the outcomes of the auditor-general.

MPs had raised concerns about Tshepo Makola, the city’s COO, and Group Risk head, Sinaye Nxumalo, who were previously accused of corruption during Mashaba’s tenure.

Morero defended the pair, stating that allegations against them had been cleared.

Responding to questions, Morero said senior officials had been subjected to allegations that were later found to be unsubstantiated after due process.

“Makola is a competent individual. He was appointed by the city, and allegations were thrown at him by the then-mayor, Mr Mashaba. Makola went through a disciplinary process and also went through a court process, which found him not to be guilty,” Morero said.

“Similarly, Nxumalo went through a process, which has proven that the allegations were baseless and unsubstantiated by the then mayor, Mr Mashaba,” he said.

Morero added that the impact of repeated allegations during that period had wider consequences for the city’s administration.

“It is important for this committee to also note that it was not only two individuals that allegations of misconduct or corruption were laid against, and Mashaba’s administration was unable to prove those allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

“We are sitting with a number of cases of people who are still in court clearing their names, and the last ones were the 126 employees at the licensing department who proved that Mashaba was wrong in his assertion to have thrown allegations,” Morero said.

... anything you touch, you are then accused of corruption by Mashaba

—  Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero

He said the situation created fear among officials, which affected service delivery and revenue collection.

“A number of senior officials decided to leave the city based on those allegations, and the drop that we are seeing today in terms of performance on revenue collection was as a result of the employees throughout the value chain in the revenue department deciding not to do anything anymore because anything you touch, you are then accused of corruption by Mashaba,” he said.

Morero expressed frustration at the MPs’ debate over politics and cadre deployment.

“In fact, Mashaba created weak leadership throughout the city. I wanted to give an honest reflection of where we are, but you are now pulling me in the direction where we are getting into politics,” he said.

“On a lighter note, let me also remind honourable members that Mashaba only had a matric certificate and he was the mayor of Johannesburg.”

Sowetan