The City of Johannesburg council has given the green light to a proposal to create the position of deputy executive mayor, who will earn more than R1.2m.

The recommendation finally made its way to council on Thursday, where it was voted in, giving the city manager the nod to get the ball rolling with its implementation.

A total of 107 councillors voted in favour, with 87 voting against, and 37 abstained.

This follows a letter drafted by cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Mzi Khumalo to then council speaker Colleen Makhubele in 2023 asking the council to consider this move.

“If your municipal council considers my proposal favourably, and once I approved the election of the deputy executive mayor, I will accordingly commence with the prescribed statutory processes to amend the Section 12 Establishment Notice of the City to make provision for your Council to, in terms of section 18(4) of the Structures Act, designate the duly elected deputy executive mayor as full-time,” read the letter, which TimesLIVE has seen.

The recommendation comes on the back of the MEC’s proposal.

According to a report to council, the establishment and election of a deputy mayor will strengthen executive leadership, ensure continuity of governance and enhance service delivery.

In light of the increasing complexity of governance and service delivery demands in the City of Johannesburg, it has become necessary to revisit the MEC’s proposal and consider the election of an executive deputy mayor to provide additional executive support to the executive mayor.

—  Report

Over time, the executive responsibilities of the mayor have expanded due to increased service delivery demands, intergovernmental relations and heightened oversight obligations.

“In light of the increasing complexity of governance and service delivery demands in the City of Johannesburg, it has become necessary to revisit the MEC’s proposal and consider the election of an executive deputy mayor to provide additional executive support to the executive mayor.”

The administration cited delays that have impeded the tabling of the report, including the revolving door of mayorship and several changes in the post of speaker.

“These transitions limited the opportunity to consider the proposal amid other urgent governance priorities. These leadership changes constrained council’s ability to fully consider proposals emanating from other spheres of government, despite the city’s ongoing commitment to effective governance and service delivery.”

The deputy executive mayor’s role will be established as a member of the mayoral committee, while supplementing the work of the mayor, standing in when the mayor is absent or unavailable, and sharing the executive workload.

“Through delegated responsibilities, the executive deputy mayor will support the monitoring of service delivery projects, accelerate decision-making and enhance responsiveness to community needs.”

The financial implications to the city have been revealed to be remuneration, allowances and benefits received by full-time councillors.

The new job comes with a R1.28m salary, which is expected to be accommodated within the approved 2025/26 financial year budget.

Following the approval in council, the position will be formally established, and council must elect a deputy mayor. The MEC will be informed through a report outlining the process undertaken.

“The executive mayor and the municipal manager are to implement all necessary administrative, financial, and governance arrangements to operationalise the position,” read the report.

TimesLIVE