CDE executive director Ann Bernstein told Newzroom Afrika that Johannesburg’s recovery depends on appointing skilled and competent professionals to mission-critical positions across the city and its entities. She argued that senior appointments have become bargaining chips amid unstable coalition politics and called for capable leadership at entities such as Johannesburg Water and City Power, alongside interim private-sector and technical capacity to address urgent infrastructure failures. This interview follows the release of CDE’s latest Johannesburg Matters report Kickstarting Delivery – Joburg’s Mission Critical Jobs