Joburg is better than it was – DA

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced its federal executive will “urgently” convene a meeting “in order to assess the impact” of Herman Mashaba’s resignation as mayor of the City of Joburg and “ensure political stability”.

It will also discuss how the party responds “in the best interests” of the city’s residents.

In a statement following Mashaba’s announcement yesterday that he would resign as mayor, DA national spokesperson Solly Malatsi said the city was better today “than it was three years ago”.

Malatsi said the DA respects Mashaba’s decision and wishes him “all the best with his future endeavours”.

He added: “The resignation of Mr Mashaba as mayor of Johannesburg does not signal an end to the DA’s commitment to the people of Johannesburg and South Africa.”

He said the DA and its coalition partners in the Johannesburg council had made significant progress in turning the city around, “specifically in the areas of unlocking opportunities, stopping and acting against corruption, and accelerating the delivery of quality services”.

Malatsi listed a number of areas he said the DA-led multiparty coalition government “has made huge progress in” within three years.

These include the recruitment of 1 500 Metro police officers “to assist in the fight against crime” and “the city’s newly established corruption-busting unit”, which, he said, “has recorded over 5 335 cases, worth more than R34 billion in transactions”.

“We would like to thank Mr Mashaba for his service to the people of Johannesburg,” he said.

The DA and its coalition partners in the Johannesburg council have made significant progress in turning the city around. Solly Malatsi DA spokesperson