Sikhethasikhetha.co.za

Metropolitan municipalityJHB· Part of Gauteng

City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

Executive mayor: Dada Morero; ANC
Wards: 135
Council seats: 270
Residents (Census 2022): 4 803 262

Who governs

Hung council (no party majority since 2016). ANC-led multiparty coalition ('Government of Local Unity') including EFF, PA, IFP, Al Jama-ah and others; ~7 mayors since the 2021 election (Morero re-elected Aug 2024).

ANCEFFPAIFPAl Jama-ah

Mayor:en.wikipedia.org, 4 Sep 2026 Coalition:politicsweb.co.za

2021 local election result

ANC33.6% · 91 seats
DA26.1% · 71 seats
ActionSA16.1% · 44 seats
EFF10.6% · 29 seats
PA2.9% · 8 seats
IFP2.4% · 7 seats
FF+

All wards in Johannesburg135

The big issues

Water outages and failing Rand Water / Joburg Water infrastructure
Johannesburg loses about 45% of its treated water to ageing pipes, illegal connections and informal settlements, and lacks storage to withstand Rand Water maintenance, leaving suburbs with dry taps.
2026 Local Government Elections: Johannesburg mayoral candidates promise to tackle city challenges, 11 Mar 2026
R6.8-billion City Power debt to Eskom threatening electricity supply
City Power owes Eskom about R6.8-billion; Eskom served a legal notice threatening progressive supply cuts from 8 July 2026 to bulk points feeding Soweto, Sandton, Orange Farm and other areas.
City Power owes Eskom R6.8 billion - what it means for Johannesburg electricity, 22 May 2026
Hijacked inner-city buildings after the 2023 Usindiso fire
Nearly three years after the Usindiso/Marshalltown fire killed 76 people, Joburg still has at least 188 hijacked inner-city buildings, with enforceable court orders for only seven and just one eviction executed.
Joburg's 188 hijacked buildings: Nine years, seven court orders, only one eviction, 20 Jan 2026

Municipal website Find your ward and voting station on the IEC site

Hung council (no party majority since 2016).

Make your next question count.

Choose an issue and copy a clear question for your councillor. Nothing is sent for you.

What needs attention?Street or area (optional)

Hello. I would like an update on water supply in my area, Johannesburg. What is the reference number, which team is responsible, and when should residents expect the next update? Please also share any published repair plan or budget.

This draft stays in this page. Copying does not contact the council.

Take the quiz for Johannesburg

See which parties match your views on the issues facing Johannesburg.

Start the quiz

Your ward

Which ward are you in?

A ward is your part of the municipality, usually a few suburbs or a section of a township. You elect one councillor for it by name.

Johannesburg has 135 wards, numbered 1 to 135.

Or search by suburb or township

Don't know your ward?

The IEC tells you. Check your registration on elections.org.za, or SMS your ID number to 32810, or WhatsApp 0600 88 0000. Your voting station notice also shows it.

elections.org.za ↗

What a ward councillor actually does

Your ward councillor is your ward's voice in the municipal council. Under the Structures Act they represent residents in council, chair the ward committee, run public participation, and tell the community what council decided. The Code of Conduct says councillors must report back to their constituencies at least every quarter. They do not run departments, hire staff, award tenders or give instructions to officials; the Code forbids interfering in the administration, which is led by the municipal manager. Ward committees (sections 72 to 78 of the Structures Act) are the councillor as chair plus up to 10 community representatives who advise on the IDP, the budget and local service problems.

Can do: represent the ward in council, chair the ward committee, hold public meetings, take service complaints to the administration and track the response, give input on the IDP and budget.
Cannot do: employ people, allocate tenders or houses, appoint municipal staff, or directly instruct officials (SALGA, and Code of Conduct item on interference in administration).
Ward committee: councillor plus up to 10 members representing interests in the ward. It advises and communicates; it does not take municipal decisions.
COGTA: the ward committee is council's recognised consultative body for the ward, including on the IDP and the budget process.

Sitting-councillor records use the 2021 ward set and include researched updates. A 2026 ward with the same number can cover a different area. Confirm your 2026 ward with the IEC.

What parties promise for Johannesburg

Specific to this municipality, in the party's own words, with the source. National slogans are left out.

African National Congress

Mayoral candidate: Dada Morero

Refurbish water infrastructure and build reservoirs that can store water for several days during Rand Water maintenance, to end recurring dry-tap crises.Source 2026-03
Cut the city's roughly 45% treated-water losses by fixing burst pipes and tackling illegal connections and ailing distribution networks.Source 2026-03
Formalise the township economy, back youth entrepreneurship and digital skills, and open transparent public-private partnerships to rebuild Johannesburg.Source 2026-03
Give the ANC a full mandate to lead alone for five years, avoiding coalition negotiations, to correct services that have collapsed in Johannesburg.Source 2026-08

Democratic Alliance

Mayoral candidate: Helen Zille

Deliver reliable water and electricity for all residents by ring-fencing revenues paid for key services and partnering with the private sector to rebuild infrastructure.Source 2026-03
Fill potholes within 72 hours, get 95% of traffic lights working, repaint road markings and use technology to protect major intersections.Source 2026-03
Attract 200,000 new jobs to Joburg by restoring quality basic services and bringing the city's business centres back to life with business.Source 2026-03
Be tough on crime: reclaim hijacked buildings, stop land invasions and enforce zero tolerance for illegal immigration.Source 2026-03

Economic Freedom Fighters

Mayoral candidate: Tlaleng Mofokeng

Serve the community full-time as a loyal councillor and refuse to be involved in corruption or stealing, as pledged on being named Joburg candidate.Source 2026-07

uMkhonto weSizwe Party

Mayoral candidate: Bongani Baloyi

Tackle Johannesburg's liquidity crisis and stabilise the city's financial position as the immediate priority.Source 2026-08
Replace cutting off services to defaulters with a social rate for households genuinely unable to pay, as a fairer debt-recovery mechanism.Source 2026-08
Conduct a thorough review of municipal entities and strengthen local law-enforcement capacity.Source 2026-08
Pursue a realistic ten-year strategy to turn Johannesburg around rather than promising quick fixes.Source 2026-08

ActionSA

Mayoral candidate: Herman Mashaba

Scrap entities like City Power, Joburg Water and the Johannesburg Roads Agency, turning them into municipal units reporting directly to the city manager.Source 2026-03
Establish a JMPD unit to identify undocumented immigrants and hand them to Home Affairs for deportation.Source 2026-03
Revive the inner city, releasing at least 100 city-owned unit-properties a month to developers for affordable housing.Source 2026-03
Insource cleaning and security so workers get permanent employment with benefits and dignity.Source 2026-03

Al Jama-ah

Mayoral candidate: Shireen Ebrahim

Urgently reactivate the city's core service-delivery functions and restore revenue collection undermined by the previous administration, with balanced, pro-poor governance.Source 2025-08

Only pledges we could source are shown; a party with no entry may simply not have published a local plan yet.

City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality

Who governs

2021 local election result

The big issues

Water outages and failing Rand Water / Joburg Water infrastructure

R6.8-billion City Power debt to Eskom threatening electricity supply

Hijacked inner-city buildings after the 2023 Usindiso fire

Make your next question count.

Take the quiz for Johannesburg

Announced mayoral candidates

Municipal billing crisis

Coalition instability and mayoral turnover

Your ward

Which ward are you in?

The record

What parties promise for Johannesburg