Floyd Brink’s return as Johannesburg’s city manager may be controversial, and there are ample reasons for concern, but it also offers the prospect of much-needed administrative stability in a city grappling with deep governance and service delivery failures. After months of uncertainty and leadership churn, simply having a permanent appointment in this critical role is an important step towards institutional continuity.
According to external members of the hiring committee, Mr Brink presented the most comprehensive strategy for turning around the city. On that basis, and in the interests of stability, we welcome the fact that the council has finally filled the post. We will now reserve judgement and assess him on whether he follows through: working transparently with civil society, strengthening core services and holding senior officials accountable for failures in service delivery, infrastructure maintenance and financial management.
The context of his appointment, however, cannot be ignored. Mr Brink’s earlier removal by court order — even if on procedural grounds — exposed serious weaknesses in how senior positions are filled and reviewed.
There is also a clear trust deficit, underscored by the decision of parties such as the Democratic Alliance and ActionSA not to support his appointment.
Johannesburg has recently reported a 93 per cent revenue collection rate, but numbers alone will not resolve underlying governance concerns. Residents will judge this administration on whether it can translate stability at the top into cleaner governance, better communication with communities and visible improvements in daily life.
Mr Brink’s return should therefore not be seen as an end point, but as an opportunity. If his renewed mandate is used to deepen transparency, fix failing systems and open the door to genuine collaboration with communities and civil society, it could help shift Johannesburg onto a more sustainable path. If not, it will simply confirm that the city’s habit of recycling controversial figures has once again prevailed over the harder work of real reform.