Diale reflects on 18 years of service to Joburg

After 18 years of meetings, Power Point presentations and scenario plans at the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), Dorothy Maruapula Diale is walking towards the sunset. Diale, affectionately known as Marouse, joined the City in 2008 as Deputy Director: District Health Services. She retires on 30 September 2026. She says she will miss her colleagues, who she describes as people who always go the extra mile.

Her public service career spans the Gauteng and North West provincial governments and the City of Ekurhuleni, where she served in various positions, including Operational Manager, Assistant Director and CEO.

Having grown up in Meadowlands, Soweto, Diale now lives in Glenvista. She says joining the City in 2008 was significant as it was two years before South Africa hosted the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

“I joined at the right time," she says. “I was involved in preparations for the World Cup, including serving on the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) and working on disaster planning."

She helped ensure that memoranda of understanding between the City and Gauteng Government were activated and that plans were in place for the major international event. A decade later, Diale was again involved in crisis planning when COVID-19 struck. As a member of the JOC representing the City's Health Department, she helped prepare for various eventualities during the pandemic.

She describes her career as one in which she was often “thrown into the deep end" but says she was supported by then Executive Director of Health, Dr Refik Bismilla. She also made presentations to senior officials, including then City Manager Trevor Fowler. Diale holds Master's degrees in Community Nursing and Public Health from RAU and Wits. Inspired by Florence Nightingale, she believes in bringing “the light of healing" to the world.

She is married to Ike and has three daughters and six grandchildren. An avid traveller, she recently returned from Vietnam and looks forward to more trips. Retirement will also give her time to indulge her love of gardening and possibly pursue a PhD. Her advice to public servants is simple: “Put yourself in the community's shoes. Push for service excellence, whether you are being watched or not. Be diligent, decisive and determined."

30/09/2026

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