City of Joburg mayor Dada Morero says he has not received any official notice from the ANC regarding a reported decision to remove him, learning about it only through social media.
Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero says he has not received any official communication from the African National Congress (ANC) regarding a decision to recall him, and only became aware of the reports through social media.
The comments follow reports that Morero is facing a recall after the ANC in the city resolved at a meeting on Saturday to relieve him of his duties.
An urgent special meeting of the party’s Regional Executive Committee (REC) took the decision, with regional officials now tasked with informing provincial and national leadership.
The special REC meeting was convened after the Johannesburg ANC was served with court papers challenging the legitimacy of its regional conference held in December.
At that conference, current deputy mayor Loyiso Masuku defeated Morero for the position of regional chairperson.
“Well, I’m like you; I saw it in the social media space. No formal communication has come through me as the deployee of the ANC,” Morero told the media in Midrand when asked about the recall.
“If there’s any decision of that nature, then the responsibility and the honours are on the leadership to engage with its deployee.”
“However, I must indicate that we are focused on the work. We must ensure that we deliver on the commitments we’ve made, and as the executive mayor, I have the responsibility to continue my work.”
Morero added that he would wait for further instructions regarding other matters, but his focus remains on his work.
He also emphasised the importance of political stability within the council.
“The mayor has an Executive Committee of ten people, which includes the MMC (Member of the Mayoral Committee) of Finance, who is also now the deputy mayor. We have a responsibility as a collective to work together to ensure that we deliver on the mandate that council has given us.”
“All other issues for now are side shows, and we will wait for any further developments if they arise, but I am focused on my work,” he said.
These developments come as Johannesburg continues to struggle with service delivery, including persistent water and electricity supply problems.
With months to go before the local government elections, the ANC in Johannesburg faces another internal crisis amid the looming possibility of Morero’s removal.
Morero’s poor performance at the head of the city’s coalition government has come under scrutiny, particularly in light of protests over poor service delivery.
Over the past year, he has survived three motions of no confidence in council.
Meanwhile, opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance and ActionSA, are intensifying campaigns in preparation for the elections.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has been officially named the party’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, having previously served as mayor from August 2016 to November 2019.
He was one of five senior leaders considered for the position.
The race for Johannesburg is heating up, with three candidates officially declared so far: Mashaba; Helen Zille, federal council chairperson of the Democratic Alliance; and Kenny Kunene of the Patriotic Alliance, who currently serves as MMC for transport in the metro.
The MK Party in Gauteng previously confirmed to IOL News that it will announce its mayoral candidate before April.
Johannesburg continues to face severe service delivery challenges, including water and electricity shortages, potholes, deteriorating infrastructure, uncollected refuse, and non-functioning streetlights and traffic signals.
The ANC has yet to confirm whether it will retain incumbent mayor Dada Morero or nominate a new candidate.
ANC Gauteng provincial spokesperson Mzi Khumalo previously told IOL News that the ANC’s National Executive Committee had resolved that announcements of metro and key local municipality candidates would be made by March 2026.
“Given the answer above, the question does not apply,” he said when asked whether the delay in announcing the mayoral candidate could affect the party in the upcoming local government elections.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL News