By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg has taken a decision to recall Dada Morero as the mayor of the City of Johannesburg.
This follows an urgent special meeting of the party’s Regional Executive Committee (REC).
The special REC meeting was convened after the REC was served with court papers challenging the legitimacy of the party’s regional conference held in December. At that conference, current deputy mayor Loyiso Masuku defeated Morero for the position of regional chairperson.
Fullview understands, the REC was not pleased with the legal challenge and believes Morero was behind the court action.
The legal challenge was filed by Stanley Itshegetseng, who is believed to be Morero’s special adviser in the metropolitan municipality.
After Masuku defeated Morero in the regional election, the REC agreed that Morero would stay on as mayor.
“The REC reviewed its decision to keep Dada as mayor, because the relationship is irreconcilable as the state is used to undermine the elected leadership,” the source told Fullview.
However, the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will have the final say on whether the recall is implemented or not.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula during the party’s National General Council (NGC) in December, urged people not to be overly preoccupied with who becomes the mayor of Johannesburg.
“Being chairperson of a region does not give you the status of a mayor, especially in a City where you have lost. Even the fact that Dada became a mayor is a favour that other parties have done for us,” said Mbalula.
“This is the problem, people are not looking at organising the ANC for the better, they are fighting over scrambles. We can make anyone a mayor at any time, but a mayor of what, a coalition government?
“We are not in power in Johannesburg; the task of the Regional Executive Committee that has just been elected should be fighting to get the ANC back, not getting rid of Dada,” he said.
Morero’s performance at the head of the city’s coalition government has also come under intense scrutiny, amid protests over poor service delivery and delays in major infrastructure projects.
Political Analyst Professor Dirk Kotze says this move was inevitable. He argues that keeping Morero as the face of the ANC’s mayoral campaign in Johannesburg would likely result in heavy losses at the polls.
Kotze notes that Morero’s lack of a solid internal constituency made his removal a pragmatic choice for a party facing stiff opposition.
“As a person who is now vulnerable and doesn’t have a constituency within the ANC, it made it easy to get rid of him especially in the lead-up to the election where they are competing against people like Helen Zille and Herman Mashaba, “added Kotze.
Meanwhile the ANC in Gauteng’s long-awaited provincial conference has been postponed until after the local government elections.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is expected to square off against Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who is the party’s provincial deputy coordinator in May.