ANC is panicking in face of Zille, Mashaba challenge.
Johannesburg may soon have a new mayor as Dada Morero will likely be recalled soon.
But it may be too late, said opposition parties, as the rot has set in already – and, said some DA councillors, it continues to spread, because on Sunday some northern suburbs were close to running dry again.
While Helen Zille’s DA mayoral campaign said she did not want to comment on ANC internal strife, sitting ward councillors felt it was a direct consequence of Joburg’s rapid downward spiral under Morero’s leadership.
All the DA public representatives who spoke to The Citizen agreed that it was about time he was booted.
Recall process and political pressure
The ANC’s Johannesburg regional executive committee’s resolution last week to recall Morero must still make its way through the party’s provincial and national structures before it is finalised.
Councillors said it cannot happen quick enough. “The real issue is that Johannesburg has been deteriorating for years under ANC governance, with failing infrastructure, water instability, financial pressure and constant political infighting,” a DA councillor said.
“At some point the governing party has to decide whether the mayor is helping manage that reality or has become its symbol.”
Then, there is also the formidable opposition from Zille and, more recently, ActionSA’s boss Herman Mashaba, who added his weight to the mayoral race. “The ANC is panicking,” a councillor said.
“Not because of ActionSA, but right now, the massive attention that Helen is bringing to the ANC’s poor management of the country’s economic hub. It amplifies their cockups nationally on a grand scale.”
Infrastructure failures and the water crisis
Another DA councillor said the city’s water crisis “was a pot simmering for years due to a lack of continual maintenance. Eventually the lid blew.”
Morero, who became mayor in 2024, has faced growing criticism from both political opponents and coalition partners as infrastructure problems worsened.
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The DA councillors said residents increasingly judge political leadership through everyday service delivery, rather than party messaging.
“Residents don’t experience politics through clever social media posts; they experience it through whether water comes out of their taps, whether their lights stay on and whether the roads and infrastructure are maintained,” one councillor said.
ANC tensions and possible successors
Several councillors on the opposition benches also claimed the mayor’s recall may reflect deeper tensions within the ANC.
“There seems to be a rift in the ANC between leadership figures and the minority parties in the coalition,” one said.
“The glue is not holding.”
Speculation about Morero’s successor has already begun circulating, with deputy mayor and finance MMC Loyiso Masuku mentioned as a replacement.
However, said one councillor: “Masuku has been responsible for the city’s finances for some time and many of Joburg’s financial and service challenges have developed during that period.”
Uncertain political direction ahead
Other councillors suggested the ANC may also need to balance coalition dynamics when selecting a replacement, potentially negotiating a deputy mayor position with one of the minority parties in council.
ActionSA did not respond to requests for comment. Questions were sent to national chair Michael Beaumont via WhatsApp and X but no response was received by the time of publication.
Joburg’s council is expected to meet on 25 and 26 March, when the political direction of the city could become clearer if the ANC moves to replace Morero.
However, said opposition councillors, the deeper challenge remains unchanged. “Changing mayors while the same underlying governance structure remains in place doesn’t automatically solve the deeper problems,” one said.
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