GOOD Statement by Matthew Cook ,
GOOD National Chairperson and City of Johannesburg Councillor
19 February 2025
The GOOD Party is deeply concerned by media reports that the halting of the water supply in Johannesburg is allegedly a consequence of a political plot against Johannesburg Mayor, Dada Morero. According to the Star, two MMCs in the Mayor’s executive, along with officials from his own party in the Johannesburg region, conspired with a Rand Water official to oust the Mayor by exacerbating the water crisis, punishing everyday citizens in the process.
As GOOD, we took a principled decision to withdraw from the coalition in Johannesburg due to the constant infighting in council meetings and the deterioration of governance standards. This has been driven by the self-interest of many of the smaller coalition partners whose hunger for power and positions drives their agenda, with the interests of citizens being disregarded entirely. The alleged actions of some members of the “Minority Governing Parties”, as they call themselves, vindicates the decision we made to withdraw from this power-hungry, toxic group of parties.
During Morero’s tenure, we have criticized his government due to the state of Johannesburg and maintain that the Mayor must do more to turn the City of Gold around. However, our democracy does not allow such political ploys to decide the fate of the leadership within the city. If those councillors would like to call for a vote of no confidence in the Mayor, they are more than welcome but punishing residents in the process by stopping the water supply is illegal.
We as the GOOD party will be writing to the city’s Speaker to request a full investigation into the allegations, If any MMCs are identified as being involved in such a ploy, they should be swiftly suspended pending the investigation’s outcome. It is simply unacceptable that elected members of council, who constitute part of the governing coalition, would use such political tricks to achieve their selfish goals. Similarly, we call on Rand Water to institute an investigation.
The ANC’s factional battles in the region are clearly a hinderance to its ability to govern effectively. We cannot allow the personal interests of politicians to define the future of such an important city, which has already been plagued by years of mismanagement. The time to act is now.
Media enquiries: media@forgood.org.za