The ANC’s Dada Morero has been elected as Joburg mayor after weeks of negotiations with political parties in the city council.
Morero replaces embattled former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, who resigned this week having been forced to by his coalition partners in the ANC.
He was contested by the DA’s Belinda Echeozonjo, who received 60 votes from her caucus.
Morero received 189 votes from various political parties including their new coalition partners ActionSA.
TimesLIVE understands that Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA voted for Morero in exchange for the speaker post.
ActionSA has 44 seats in the council.
Morero, having served as the city’s finance MMC in Gwamanda’s cabinet, ascends to the mayoral post for the second time after a short-lived stint at the helm last year.
Morero, currently the ANC Johannesburg regional chairperson, was removed as mayor in October 2022 after the DA went to court to dispute his election. The court found in the DA’s favour declaring his election unconstitutional.
The ANC has been meeting different political parties in the Johannesburg council to ensure it has a stable coalition to take over the city.
This coalition shake-up is a reconfiguration of the previous deal clinched between the ANC and EFF in Gauteng last year. That deal saw minority parties taking up the mayoral and speaker posts while the EFF and ANC shared the mayoral committee positions.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has indicated the ANC will focus its efforts on municipalities, with Johannesburg as its priority to regain lost electoral ground and address service delivery shortcomings.
Speaker Margaret Arnolds resigned shortly after Morero’s swearing-in — indicating a move to the mayoral committee.
This configuration aligns with ActionSA’s push to occupy the speaker post, which is expected to take place next week.
The mayoral committee members are as follows:
- Group corporate and shared services: Loyiso Masuku (ANC)
- Environment and infrastructure services: Jack Sekwaila (ANC)
- Public safety: Mgcini Tshwaku (EFF)
- Development planning: Eunice Mgcina (ANC)
- Economic development: Nomoya Daphney Mnisi (ANC)
- Human settlements: Mlungisi Mabaso (IFP)
- Transport: Kenny Kunene (PA)
- Health and social development: Ennie Makhafola (EFF)
- Finance: Margaret Arnolds (AIC)
- Community development: Kabelo Gwamanda (Al Jama-ah)
TimesLIVE