By Thapelo Molefe
The City of Johannesburg has appointed ANC regional deputy secretary Loyiso Masuku as its new Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance.
Joburg mayor Dada Morero announced the move as part of changes to strengthen the city’s governance, following the election of former finance MMC Margaret Arnolds as Speaker of Council.
Masuku will now oversee the city’s financial governance, fiscal discipline, and revenue collection efforts.
Masuku’s appointment comes at a critical for Joburg as the City’s finances are in freefall and service delivery is grinding to a halt.
Morero has been asked to explain how South Africa’s wealthiest city plans to recoup R24.4 billion ($1.4 billion) lost to “unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure.”
Last month, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana gave Morero 14 days to outline his plan for stabilising the city’s finances, according to a letter dated July 30 seen by Bloomberg.
Failure to comply could see the city lose part of its funding from the national government.
Irregular expenditure has ballooned to R22.2 billion, while fruitless and wasteful spending now exceeds R705 million.
Morero said Masuku’s appointment was aimed at “strengthening financial governance, upholding fiscal discipline, and enhancing revenue collection” to improve service delivery and stabilise operations.
Masuku, who previously served as MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services, returns to the mayoral committee with more than a decade of experience in both government administration and ANC structures.
Born in Butterworth, Eastern Cape, Masuku holds a B-Tech degree from Technikon Witwatersrand and a postgraduate diploma in African Studies and Public Policy from the University of Johannesburg.
She also holds certificates in Gender Mainstreaming in the Public Service and in Municipal Leaders’ Media and Stakeholder Engagement.
Her political career began in the student movement as a SASCO campus coordinator before rising to ANC Youth League Regional Secretary in Johannesburg and serving in the ANC Women’s League Florence Mophosho branch.
She has worked in the Executive Mayor’s Office in Ekurhuleni and in the Gauteng Office of the Premier.
In 2020, Masuku stepped aside from her duties after being linked to a R125 million COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) tender awarded by the Gauteng Health Department, then headed by her husband, Bandile Masuku, and involving close family friend Khusela Diko.
Allegations suggested a conflict of interest, but subsequent investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the ANC’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) found no evidence that she had influenced the awarding of the tender or benefited from it. The ANC PEC formally cleared her, allowing her to return to her position.
Masuku said at the time that she wanted to serve without “a cloud hanging over [her] head” and reaffirmed her commitment to public service.
Her new role in the finance portfolio comes as Johannesburg implements a turnaround plan aimed at improving productivity, stability, and service delivery.
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