By Akani Nkuna
Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has launched the City CEO Clean-Up Campaign, also known as the CEO-City Partnership Programme, in a bid to tackle urban decay, service delivery backlogs, and declining public trust.
Morero was speaking at the launch held at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein on Tuesday, where he emphasised that a thriving Johannesburg leads to a thriving nation.
He said the campaign responds to the President’s call for bold measures to revitalise cities and improve service delivery.
“The CEO–City Partnership Programme is a commitment to collective leadership, shared accountability and practical action. It is proof that when we unite government, business and communities, we unlock the real power of Johannesburg,” he said.
The campaign, a collaboration between the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), the private sector, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), seeks to encourage the active participation of top business leaders and CEOs in clean-up efforts across the city and its surroundings.
The initiative will extend into Soweto’s townships before concluding on Friday, 15 November, with a focus on strategic sites identified as transport hubs, cultural centres, and heritage landmarks — which the mayor described as the city’s “economic engines.”
Morero assured that the campaign’s objectives would extend beyond the three-day period, serving as a benchmark for how the CoJ manages partnerships and sustains efforts to revitalise the inner city.
“It represents the foundation for public–private cooperation that is long overdue, and it is the first step in rebuilding a city that is clean, safe, functional, and globally competitive,” Morero said.
The mayor also commended the recently established “Bomb Squad,” a rapid-response unit whose framework cuts across key city functions to reduce backlogs and address issues often overlooked by executives.
Relying largely on volunteers and contributions from private entities and individuals, the Squad has achieved an 86% resolution rate across 42 major escalations and processed 724 service requests — restoring 89% within a single day since its inception in June 2025, according to Morero.
He noted that the Squad’s new formalised cooperation channels with residents have narrowed the communication gap between the city and communities, allowing for quicker identification and resolution of service delivery concerns.
“The Bomb Squad has introduced a new culture of urgency and accountability in Johannesburg. It has shown that when we coordinate, act together, and stay focused on results, progress can be made within hours — not months,” he added.
Addressing the persistent challenges of vandalism and illegal dumping, Morero reaffirmed the city’s commitment to strengthen by-laws and enforcement measures, including imposing harsher penalties.
He further stressed that public–private partnerships will be crucial in sustaining clean-up operations and infrastructure upgrades, adding that city officials will intensify War Room meetings to maintain momentum in resolving service delivery challenges.
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