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[FILE] Executive Mayor Dada Morero at the City of Johannesburg building.
The African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg says it expects Wednesday’s State of the City Address to focus on accelerating service delivery, infrastructure investment and inner-city rejuvenation efforts across the metro.
The party says the address by Dada Morero is expected to build on existing programmes aimed at improving water, electricity and road infrastructure, as well as by-law enforcement.
ANC Johannesburg chairperson Loyiso Masuku cited the city’s Inner City Rejuvenation Programme and safer city initiatives as important interventions aimed at restoring economic activity and improving safety.
Masuku says, “Work has started, it’s about accelerating and making sure that at a high impact level we do that.”
“And all these programs are also geared towards economic recovery, financial sustainability, because the more work that is done and businesses stay in the city centre, then we know that the economy is moving.”
“The more that service delivery happens in areas where people can use their logistics, transportation, businesses stay in the city,” says Masuku.
Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, is expected to deliver his final State of the City Address ahead of the local government elections. The highly anticipated address will, for the first time, be delivered at St Mary’s Cathedral in the inner city.#SABCNews pic.twitter.com/pDdAJjwXEN
— SABCNews_MorningLive (@MorningLiveSABC) May 20, 2026
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg says financial instability, governance failures and poor accountability remain key concerns ahead of the address.
DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku says the party wants clarity on how the City plans to fund major infrastructure projects.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku also criticised what she described as selective by-law enforcement operations in the Johannesburg CBD ahead of the State of the City Address.
“It’s an election year, it’s a few days before the state of the city address and the mayor’s all over the place doing by-law enforcement. This is what we wanted to see in the past, since the beginning of the term, and he’s only doing it now. It also takes a lot of the JMPD officers and other law enforcement officers away from other regions and he’s concentrating on the CBD.”
The State of the City Address is expected to outline the City’s priorities on infrastructure, governance and economic recovery.
COJ continues its clean-up and by-law enforcement operation:
