Joburg mayor Dada Morero apologises after telling Tshepisong resident not to ‘talk sh**t’

A heated confrontation over ongoing electricity problems in Tshepisong saw Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero tell a resident he was “talking sh**t”, before later apologising for his remarks.

City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has apologised after telling a Tshepisong resident not to “talk sh**t” during a heated electricity imbizo in the Roodepoort township.

The incident occurred on Thursday at the Abundant Faith Christian Centre during a meeting led by the city’s power utility, City Power.

Also in attendance were MMC for the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department Jack Sekwaila, City Power acting CEO Charles Tlouane and other officials.

The imbizo was held amid concerns raised by residents and local councillors following the initial withdrawal of electricity services in the area.

City Power withdrew its technical restoration and maintenance services following low electricity vending rates, widespread illegal connections, vandalism, sabotage, tampering and resistance to its network normalisation process.

The engagement was aimed at addressing residents’ electricity-related concerns and providing updates on interventions to improve service delivery.

During the session, residents voiced their frustrations over the impact of the electricity challenges, with tensions eventually escalating between Morero and one resident.

In a video widely circulated on social media, Morero can be seen clashing with a resident, believed to be a man, for allegedly calling him a criminal.

“Don’t call me a criminal. What are you saying? Don’t call me a criminal. No, I am not a criminal,” Morero says, as residents can be heard mumbling in the background.

“Don’t ever do that again. Don’t ever do that again. You are old. Don’t do that again. I’m not a criminal.”

Residents can then be heard shouting loudly, with some appearing to defend the resident.

Morero subsequently lost his temper and told the resident, “You’re talking sht. You’re talking sht.”

He repeated the remark as residents continued to shout in the background.