​The Executive Mayor, Councillor Jolidee Matongo, urges officials to recommit to fighting underperformance, corruption, and all other forms of malfeasance in the municipality. Cllr Matongo says he and the City’s executive have pledged to be leader-servants, who will lead by the maxim that whoever wants to be the greatest among them must be the servant of all.

“The proverbial mayoral chain is not a symbol of prestige, but rather a reminder of the commitment to serve the people of our great City,” he says.

​Mayor Matongo admits that in recent years, the City has frequently found itself on the front pages of newspapers and on news television screens for all the wrong reasons. Some of these reasons are related to service delivery failures as well as changes in the City's political and managerial leadership.

While there may be changes at the political level, Cllr Matongo says the political and management teams at the helm are still committed to the vision outlined in the City's Growth and Development Strategy (GDS) 2040. Mayor Matongo indicates that as the City awaits the Constitutional Court to make a ruling on the date of the next local government elections, all officials are expected to continue pursuing progress in the delivery of services to the people of Johannesburg as committed for the financial year underway.

“Continuity is our byword. We continue along the lines of the priorities listed by the Government of Local Unity when it was established in December 2019 - with a special focus on a 10-point strategic direction for the coalition. These include Good governance, financial sustainability, integrated human settlements, sustainable service delivery, job opportunity and creation, safer city, active and engaged citizenry, economic development, sustainable development and smart city,” Mayor Matongo explains.

He adds that he remains intolerant to any misuse or abuse of office for personal gain at the expense of the people of Johannesburg.

Following the release of a report by Statistics South Africa indicating that unemployment has risen to 34.4 percent, Mayor Matongo expresses concern that the recent figures have serious implications for the City. He says this is due to the fact that many more people from across the country and beyond will be flocking to Johannesburg in the hope of bettering their fortunes.

“The implications for Johannesburg are that we must create job opportunities at a rate higher than the national average. This is in addition to the increasing demand for basic service delivery due to a growing population. We cannot do these things on our own. We invite the private sector to join hands with us to come up with ideas to grow our economy and meet the demands we face as a City,” Matongo says.