The call for ANC Johannesburg chairperson Dada Morero to become mayor is said to have received a pushback from some regional executive committee members who are lobbying for regional deputy secretary Loyiso Masuku to take over the position.
Insiders in the ANC said the call has come from Morero's detractors in the regional executive after a media briefing by ActionSA which confirmed that talks were at an advanced stage between the two parties.
Insiders privy to the talks said that some regional executive committee members were frustrated by the move, alleging that Morero had negotiated the deal with ActionSA himself so that he could retake the mayoral chain.
The two insiders said that this was expressed during a meeting this week where regional leaders said they must continue with the tradition of recommending three names to the province for consideration.
The insiders said there were still some within the region who were advocating for an EFF alliance where the ANC would regain the mayoral chain and divide the mayoral committee between itself and the EFF.
Another point of contention is ActionSA's demand for the city to scrap the R200 electricity surcharge for prepaid users.
“However you look at it, we can't agree to it because Dada cannot make this surcharge go away. He needs a council resolution, Nersa's approval, and don't forget he must also adjust the budget to meet this demand,” one insider said.
Another insider said Masuku's name had also been raised by some provincial leaders.
It is understood that Morero is not favoured by some provincial leaders, including party chair Panyaza Lesufi and secretary TK Nciza.
The ANC insider said while Morero had a slight majority in the regional executive, Masuku was a woman, which made her more eligible for the position.
“The only ANC female mayor in a metro is Princess Faku in Buffalo City. You must also remember that Loyiso is favoured by deputy president [Paul Mashatile], and the deputy secretary-general [Nomvula Mokonyane]. That can go a long way. But in the same breath Dada is the president's man,” they said.
Masuku appeared first on the list of those recommended for the top official in the 2021 elections but faced a similar obstacle in a dominant Morero faction.
ANC regional secretary Sasabona Manganye said the ANC is working on the reconfiguration of the coalition. He said they believed this would be done in the next two weeks.
“In the main is to invite parties that are available to join us, learning from the government of national unity (GNU) and the government of provincial unity (GPU). We are also engaging with other parties that are not part of the coalition to integrate them to assist in reconfiguring a government of local unity so that the party with the majority can lead with its mayor,” he said.
“The current mayor was put in by the ANC. As soon as the environment is conducive for the ANC to forward a name, he will resign. There will not be a motion of no confidence in the mayor, there will be smooth transition from the current mayor to the next mayor,” he said.
In the next week or so, the mayor and the speaker will resign, and we'll have an election for a new mayor and speaker. We hope we will not have to go through motions of no confidence. It is unnecessary. I have confidence the ANC leadership will handle that.
— ActionSA Gauteng chairperson Funzi Ngobeni
An ANC insider close to Morero said it would be futile to add another name to the debate, arguing there was reason for the ANC to consider a new candidate.
The insider said Morero had the majority support of the regional executive.
“If Loyiso was to want the process of three names to happen, which I will advise her against, she will be subjecting herself to embarrassment. Because imagine as an office bearer you fail to make it on to the list of three names because you don't have the numbers, it won't look good.
“If they call for it, it will not be in her best interest. I haven’t been lobbied by anyone, but if I do speak to them, I will tell them that they are better off lobbying for something else and not this,” the insider said.
The ANC leader said while the ANC guidelines spoke of three names which should be recommended during a process of selecting a mayoral candidate, this did not exist when the party is reliant on a coalition arrangement.
“You also don't want to divide yourselves as an organisation. So you want to reaffirm the same candidate, then you have no crisis, you will have stability. We still have engagements with other parties which are scheduled for next week.
“There is agreement that the council meeting must continue as scheduled. Anything that has to do with resignation will be considered after that. You might still have a few days after that council sitting,” they said.
They added that another option was for Kabelo Gwamanda to resign but remain in office until the council meeting scheduled for the election of the new mayor.
ActionSA Gauteng chairperson Funzi Ngobeni has already indicated that part of the deal will include it taking over the speaker position in the city council, ousting the African Independent Congress' Margaret Arnolds, a longtime ally of the ANC.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika last week, Ngobeni said the ANC would handle the matter “quickly”.
“In the next week or so, the mayor and the speaker will resign, and we'll have an election for a new mayor and speaker. We hope we will not have to go through motions of no confidence. It is unnecessary. I have confidence the ANC leadership will handle that.
Al Jama-ah — Gwamanda's party- has been in a coalition with the ANC in several municipalities and now at national government. Its leader Ganief Hendricks was appointed deputy minister of social development in President Cyril Ramaphosa's executive.
The ANC needs the city to prop up its prospects in the 2026 local government elections. It has been unable to regain the metros it lost in 2016.
With the DA showing that it has the potential to overtake the ANC in both provincial and local government elections in the province, its leaders have been working overtime to ensure that it does not get into any coalition arrangements with the blue party in Gauteng.
However, ActionSA had previously shown to also pose a threat to the ANC mainly in its Soweto base. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba leveraged on his popularity to gain a significant share of the vote in the last local government elections in the city.
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