General

Best. Interview. Ever.

Cranky journalist puts the boots to Johannesburg mayor

You’ve probably never heard of Amos Masondo. He’s the Mayor of Johannesburg, and we’re guessing he regrets ever sitting down with Chris Barron of the Jo’burg Sunday Times to discuss the city’s preparations for the World Cup. In a monument to conversational minimalism, Barron interrogates the hapless pol with ruthless efficiency, adducing evidence that—even as it prepares to welcome the world—Jo’burg is devolving into a pot-holed dump plagued by poor public transit and political cronyism. Our favourite exchange begins with Barron grilling Masondo over his purported plans to lift Johannesburg to “world class” status:

Q: “Do you know of any other world-class city where an unelected mayor has been in office for 10 years?”
A: “Unelected? What do you mean by that?”
Q: “That you haven’t been elected.”

Johannesburg Sunday Times

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