The political dynamics in Johannesburg have been reshaped following the ANC’s 16th Regional Elective Conference, where Loyiso Masuku defeated incumbent Dada Morero for the coveted position of regional chairperson. 

Masuku’s win, making her the first woman to lead the region, was confirmed on Friday at the Cedarwoods Hotel in Sandton, clinching the position with 184 votes to Morero’s 149.

While Masuku’s victory signals a new era for the party in the economic hub, attention has immediately shifted to the fate of Dada Morero, who currently serves as the City of Johannesburg’s Executive Mayor.

His loss in the internal party election has ignited fervent speculation regarding whether he will be allowed to complete his mayoral term, which runs until the next local government elections in November 2026.

Morero has held the mayoral chain since August 2022 and the regional chairperson position for the past three years. 

Traditionally, the regional chairperson is the de facto most powerful leader in the region and is often the party’s preferred candidate for the mayoral position.

Masuku is now “widely expected to become the ANC’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg”. 

This expectation, coupled with her decisive victory, puts immediate pressure on the current mayor.

The question of a mayoral recall was top of mind in political circles. Within the conference, some delegates openly called for Morero’s replacement as mayor. 

However, a source close to the new leadership suggested that an immediate and ‘hasty’ ousting is not currently on the cards.

“It’s local government elections next year, and there is no need for the leadership to act hastily,” the source said. 

“The executive mayor has been doing a fine job so far and can’t just be chucked out only because he lost the chairperson position.” 

The source confirmed that while Masuku defeated Morero by 35 votes for the party position, this loss alone may not be enough to trigger a recall, especially with the next municipal polls looming.

Attempts to get a comment from the ANC leadership were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

However, despite speculation that Morero might be removed before next year’s elections, according to the afternoon reports on Friday, the ANC leadership confirmed that Morero will stay on as mayor until the polls.

However, the ANC’s history is peppered with instances where a powerful new regional chair moves to install their preferred candidate in a key executive position.

Before the vote, Morero, reflecting on his tenure, highlighted the “notable progress” made under his leadership in cleaning up the city. 

He also used his address to blame the previous DA-led administration for the city’s systemic financial woes, including “declining revenue collection, rising debt levels, and unauthorised expenditure”. 

He urged delegates to elect leaders capable of tackling the city’s “complex” challenges, which include hijacked buildings, chronic water shortages, rolling power outages, and rampant municipal corruption.

Despite his appeal for capable leadership, the delegates chose Masuku. 

The regional executive committee (REC), which Masuku now chairs, has the authority to recommend and lobby for changes in government positions. 

Other results included the re-election of its Regional Secretary Sasabona Manganye, Regional Deputy Chairperson Masilo Serekele, Deputy Secretary Lerato Bob, and Treasurer Maxwell Nedzamba.

On the first day of the conference, Gauteng Premier and the ANC’s Coordinator of the party’s provincial task team, Panyaza Lesufi, issued a stern warning against factional battles, only to then take the captainship of what he referred to as a “sinking ship”.

“All of us are inside a ship that is sinking, and it is sinking at a faster rate. Instead of all of us collectively determining how to save this ship, we are squabbling among ourselves about who the owner of the ship is. You can emerge as the owner of this ship, but when it is at the bottom of the sea, it will be a meaningless ship.

“We are coming to you to say, even if somebody has stolen your delegate, even if somebody has promised you a delegate, even if somebody has said they will bring the numbers — if the numbers don’t ‘number’, the ANC must number! That is how we are going to correct things.”

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za

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