Former Joburg municipal manager Fowler blames high turnover of mayors for city’s decline

Trevor Fowler said that at the heart of the issue was the fact that Johannesburg has had eight different mayors since 2016.

Former Johannesburg municipal manager, Trevor Fowler, has blamed the constant changing of mayors as one of the reasons behind the city’s decline.

On Thursday, Fowler attended the African National Congress (ANC)’s event at the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, where the party was commemorating 70 years of the Freedom Charter.

The event was held at a dilapidated square, which some residents said was a metaphor for the declining state of Johannesburg.

Fowler said that at the heart of the issue was the fact that Johannesburg has had eight different mayors since 2016.

“Now, there is no organisation that can function effectively when you have different mayors that come in with different ideas and as a consequence, I can say that the staff of the CoJ used to call me and say: ‘Look, we have another mayor, with another direction. What are we to do?’ And I think that’s really the root cause for some of our problems.”

Fowler said the regular motions of no confidence showed that political parties in the opposition benches were only interested in being in power.

“It is time that all parties work together, whether they are in the opposition, that they must also consider the residents around here, that they too will be affected by their actions. Even if you’re in opposition, there is something called a patriotic opposition – that is what is required.”