In a major escalation of the city’s fight against lawlessness, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has announced he will formally request the intervention of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help reclaim the inner city, citing criminal syndicates armed with “high-powered artillery.”
During a wide-ranging interview, Morero confirmed that his administration intends to approach the Defence Minister to request military assistance in specific precincts where law enforcement has been overwhelmed.
“In areas where I think we require them, we are going to indicate which of the prisons has high levels of criminals and syndicates with high powered artillery,” Morero said. “So we may need the defence force.”
The Mayor recalled a failed operation approximately four years ago to clear areas around the Marble Tower, where officials were met with armed resistance from those who had erected illegal structures. “We need in those types of areas an intervention and support from the South African defence force, who in any case the president has already deployed in Kenilworth,” he added.
The announcement came as Morero defended the city’s financial position against recent warnings from National Treasury. While acknowledging challenges with collection rates and expenditure management, he rejected suggestions that Johannesburg is bankrupt.
“We remain fluid and liquid as the city,” Morero said. “We still able to meet our monthly obligations, still be able to honour the loans that we have raised. In fact, we just settled a month ago a Standard Bank short loan.”
He explained that Treasury’s concerns were based on a June 2025 financial report showing the city owed R25 billion to creditors, a figure he said has since been reduced to approximately R6.8 billion. The Mayor also addressed an unfunded R10 billion wage agreement with the South African Municipal Workers Union, tracing it back to a politically facilitated agreement signed in 2016 following a strike. He confirmed the city would honour the payments, though extensions may be granted during periods of budget shortfalls.
Regarding the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s suspension of the city’s debt securities, Morero said the suspension resulted from delayed audited financial statements due to a dispute with the Auditor-General. That dispute has now been resolved, he said, with financial statements expected to be submitted on May 30.
Morero dismissed criticism of weak leadership, pointing to by-law enforcement efforts in the CBD, as well as areas including Wynberg, Roodepoort and Soweto. “I believe that as executive mayor together with the collective of the MMC we have been doing what we are required to do and we have been doing a good job,” he said.