Johannesburg mayor Joburg Mayor Dada Morero says he would stand if re-elected as mayor.
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Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero says he will avail himself for consideration to return as mayor if invited by the National Office Bearers (NOBs), as the party prepares to decide on its metro candidates ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
In an interview on Newzroom Afrika, Morero made it clear that the decision on who leads the party in Johannesburg rests with the ANC’s national structures.
“Yeah, remember, we don’t stand for that. We only stand for being a councillor and should the NOB invite you for a process of interviews and selection, then I will avail myself,” he said.
Morero explained that the National Executive Committee, through the NOBs, is expected to finalise candidates for metros across the country.
“We’re told that the National Executive Committee through the National Office Bearers, will be making the decisions, possibly this month, on candidates for all the metros in South Africa.
‘’So we don’t know. I guess all of us will wait and see the decisions that will be made by the NOBs,” he said.
His comments come amid questions about whether newly appointed Deputy Mayor Loyiso Masuku could emerge as a potential mayoral candidate.
IOL previously reported that Johannesburg’s member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance, Masuku, was elected as ANC Johannesburg regional chair in December, defeating Morero.
Last week Thursday during council proceedings, Masuku was elected unopposed as the City of Johannesburg’s first-ever deputy mayor.
Masuku’s previous role as Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance has been dissolved and absorbed into the new office, consolidating fiscal and executive authority.
Morero declined to speculate, reiterating that the process is handled internally by the party’s leadership structures.
On the possibility that he may not be selected to return as mayor, Morero said the reasons would lie with the NOBs.
“Well, I guess the NOB would have to explain what made them not to decide this way, but decided this way. I guess they’ll have their own assessment that they’ll have to do,” he said.
He outlined the party’s internal selection process, saying candidates are subjected to interviews where their ability to implement the ANC’s manifesto and carry out the party’s mandate is assessed.
“Normally what happens is that we are processed through an interview panel where particular issues of interest are raised and the NOB wants to understand how you’ll be able to implement the manifesto of the ANC, how you’ll be able to manage and carry the mandate as given by the ANC.
‘’So those are the questions and assessments which I had an opportunity to go through in 2021 as I was interviewed by the NOB,” he said.
Morero also addressed the recent establishment of a deputy mayor position in the City of Johannesburg, dismissing suggestions that it signalled pressure on his leadership.
“No, not necessarily. The matter was in relation to councils are allowed to have a deputy mayor and basically the deputy mayor will act in instances where the mayor probably is committed somewhere, is not around. It also allows for the management of political issues within councils,” he said.
He added that the decision to create the position had been taken last year and implemented this year.
“I guess it’s a decision we made already last year and we only implemented it this year,” he said.
In addition to these developments, Morero has survived yet another attempt to remove him from office. A motion of no confidence, tabled by Al Jama-ah and its minority party partners during a council meeting on Thursday, but collapsed due to procedural requirements not being met.
The motion failed not because of numbers but because the proposer, Lubabalo Cecil Magwentshu of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), was absent when Speaker Margaret Arnolds called for the motion.
Morero said the ANC’s National Office Bearers would ultimately take the final decision on Johannesburg’s mayoral candidate.
“But I guess it’s a decision that we leave to the national leadership to decide. There will be a number of issues that they have to take into account before they arrive at the decision,” he said.
Additional reporting by Kayla Dercksen.
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