ANC Gauteng top brass meet to finalise Johannesburg mayoral candidate
The Gauteng ANC is expected to finalise the nomination of its Johannesburg mayoral candidate to replace late mayor Geoff Makhubo on Wednesday.
This comes after the party met on Tuesday night to discuss three names recommended by the Johannesburg region as preferred candidates.
The Sunday Times reported last week that finance MMC Jolidee Matongo was emerging as the front-runner to take over as executive mayor after Makhubo’s death.
Matongo is preferred by the dominant ANC faction in Johannesburg, which is led by regional secretary Dada Morero and supported by senior members of the Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC), including provincial secretary Jacob Khawe and PEC members Lebogang Maile and Mzwandile Masina, among others.
It is understood the region has since nominated Matongo together with Mpho Moerane, MMC for environment and infrastructure services, and Salphina Mulaudzi, who chairs a committee that oversees other committees in the council.
On Monday Morero said the region needed to ensure unity and renewal of the ANC.
“This unity and renewal must also translate into providing credible leadership to the people of Johannesburg. The leadership who will lead the administration will not compromise on service delivery to the people of Johannesburg. Hence the meeting of Aug. 2, 2021 resolved to recommend the three nominees to the PEC.
“The ANC calls on its members and the people of Johannesburg to support whichever candidate the national executive committee (NEC) will approve of the three names recommended to the PEC, avoid divisive tendencies and focus on serving the people of Johannesburg,” said Morero.
On Tuesday evening Khawe confirmed the PEC would meet to discuss the three names.
Provincial officials are expected to meet today to finalise the process before sending the name of their preferred candidate to the ANC national leadership.
The ANC NEC is expected to hold its own meeting this week to consider the recommended name.
TimesLIVE