Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has survived a motion of no confidence brought by the Democratic Alliance (DA), just 10 months into his term.

The DA accused Morero of failing to restore basic service delivery and presiding over a deteriorating administration in South Africa’s economic hub.

During Wednesday’s council vote, 75 councillors supported the motion, while 144 voted against it. Forty-three abstained.

“The councillors who abstained from this voting process: 43. The yeses – 75. The nos -144. The motion does not pass,” said council Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu.

This prompted cheers from Morero’s supporters, including members of his mayoral committee.

The motion failed despite earlier signs that opposition parties such as ActionSA would not defend Morero’s leadership.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said before the vote that the party had informed the ANC it would not back Morero.

“We have come to this conclusion because service delivery in Johannesburg has collapsed,” Beaumont said. “Traffic lights are not working, streets are falling apart, electricity and water outages are worse than ever.”

He also criticised Morero’s dismissive approach to the city’s challenges.

“We’ll just repair the potholes on the routes of the G20,” and “Don’t expect a lot under my mayoral team,” Beaumont quoted Morero as saying.

“I’m afraid Johannesburg residents aspire to more than that kind of leadership, and ActionSA aspires to more than that kind of leadership.”

The Johannesburg City Council has 270 seats; 136 votes were needed for the motion to pass. With 71 seats, the DA required support from other parties to remove Morero.

Morero, who also chairs the ANC’s regional structure in Johannesburg, was not the only official under fire. Motions of no confidence against ANC Chief Whip Sthembiso Zungu and Speaker Mthembu (an ActionSA member) are expected to follow.

The DA’s motion accused Morero of mismanagement, fostering patronage networks, and lacking transparency. It claimed his administration had overseen declining basic services, neglected communities, and stalled governance.

“Johannesburg deserves better,” the DA said in a statement.

The party also criticised Mthembu, accusing her of shielding the mayor from scrutiny and undermining council procedures.

“Her actions have demonstrated that she is no longer independent,” the statement said. “The DA will not stand by while Johannesburg is hijacked by narrow political interests. We owe it to every resident to fight for a council that works, a mayor who leads, and a speaker who upholds the rules with fairness and impartiality.”

simon.majqdibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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