Joburg Mayor Dada Morero's future hangs in the balance as no-confidence motion looms

Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero is once again under pressure, facing a motion of no confidence recently brought forward by a coalition of minority parties.

This latest challenge, coming just four months after he survived a similar attempt, puts Morero's leadership and the stability of the ANC-led government in the City of Johannesburg under intense scrutiny. 

While Morero himself has remained tight-lipped, referring all questions to the ANC, the party's Greater Johannesburg Region coordinator, Sasabona Manganye, has defended the mayor, dismissing the motion as a "desperate and opportunistic attempt by fringe political actors".

The motion, formally submitted to Johannesburg City Council Speaker Margaret Arnolds on Tuesday, was brought by the Minority Governing Parties (MGP), a grouping of 10 smaller parties that are part of the ANC-led coalition government. 

These include the United Democratic Movement, Al Jama‑ah, African Independent Congress, and African Heart Congress, among others. 

The MGP argues that the motion is not aimed at the ANC but is intended to "restore accountability and lawful governance" to the city.

MGP Chairperson and former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda elaborated on the reasons behind their decision, citing "sustained breakdowns in governance, administrative capture, and political interference in city operations". 

This sentiment is echoed in a statement released by the MGP, which highlights a litany of grievances.

At the heart of the dispute, according to the MGP, is the prolonged absence of a permanent city manager, a situation they claim violates Section 54A of the Municipal Systems Act.

"For more than a year, Johannesburg has operated without a permanent city manager… due to deliberate stalling and interference by the executive mayor," the MGP statement reads. 

They further accuse Morero of centralising power within his office, "effectively blurring the lines between the executive and administrative functions of the municipality". 

This, they argue, has led to a "compromised administration, where acting appointments are repeatedly used to consolidate political control instead of ensuring stability and service delivery".

Another significant point of contention is the establishment of the "Joburg bomb squad", a unit announced in June, ostensibly to address service delivery issues.

However, Gwamanda stated that this unit was introduced without "council consultation or approval".

The MGP also points to "national and provincial interference in the city’s internal appointments, especially the appointment of the city manager, undermining council authority and administrative independence". 

Furthermore, they allege a "sweeping of R4 billion from Johannesburg Water’s accounts, a reckless act that endangered service delivery and breached the principles of the Municipal Finance Management Act".

Worsening service delivery failures, including "prolonged water outages, continued electricity outages, crumbling infrastructure, and growing frustration among residents", are also listed as contributing factors to their decision.

Despite these grave accusations, MGP Secretary Yongama Zigebe is adamant that the motion is not an attempt to unseat the ANC from power.

"Our differences are not partisan; they are principled. The MGP respects the ANC’s participation in the GLU but firmly believes that the leadership of Dada Morero has compromised the stability and credibility of the coalition," he said. 

"This motion seeks to change the mayor, not to break the coalition, and to restore collective leadership that reflects consultation, transparency, and lawful governance."

However, the ANC in the Greater Johannesburg Region views the motion in a starkly different light. 

Manganye, the region's coordinator, said with concern that the purported motion is "nothing more than a desperate and opportunistic attempt by fringe political actors seeking relevance at the expense of service delivery and stability in the City of Johannesburg".

Manganye challenged the sincerity of the minority parties' claims, asserting that "none of the parties behind this purported motion… have ever formally engaged the ANC or raised any concerns through proper coalition structures regarding the leadership or performance of the executive mayor". 

He added that their "sudden public posture is, therefore, disingenuous and driven by narrow political motives rather than the genuine interests of the residents of Johannesburg".

The ANC coordinator firmly reiterated the party's unwavering support for Morero.

"An attack on the Executive Mayor, Cllr Dada Morero, is in essence, an attack on the ANC itself and the collective mandate entrusted to the ANC-led coalition government to rebuild and renew the city," Manganye declared.

"The ANC will not stand by while opportunistic forces attempt to destabilise the progress being made under our leadership."

He dismissed the claims of "interference in administrative processes" and "non-implementation of PMC (project management consultant) resolutions" as "baseless and politically motivated, aimed at derailing the ongoing turnaround of the city".

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za