‘Joburg is in free fall’ — Next month could be make or break for Mayor Dada Morero

The city of Johannesburg is falling apart, with Mayor Dada Morero facing the possible axe both in council and within the ANC regionally.

Earlier this week, the DA submitted a motion of no confidence against Morero, citing several service delivery failures. The motion will likely be heard when councillors meet later this month.

Political analyst Sanet Solomon from the Free State University (UFS) believes the motion of no confidence is a serious indication of Morero’s failures and could be used as ammunition by his opponents within the ANC to oust him as regional chair.

Morero hopes to retain his position at the party’s elective conference, which could be held next month, but he may face a stiff challenge from ANC Joburg deputy secretary Loyiso Masuku.

“It is unlikely that he would be able to achieve his goals before the next election. Given his current performance, it is unlikely that he would do well in the next elective conference.”

Solomon said the ANC could lose voters if it presents the same leaders while campaigning for the 2026 local government elections.

“Given the current context of poor governance and service delivery, voters may punish the ANC if the current leadership stays in place. They may need someone who would resonate with voters more and inspire hope. This would require someone completely different,” she said.

Publicly, the ANC has backed Morero, with ANC Gauteng co-convenor Panyaza Lesufi believing the DA is simply making empty threats.

“Anyone who wants to bring a motion of no confidence against the mayor of any of our municipalities, I say bring it on,” he said.

A city in free fall

The political landscape of the City of Johannesburg has changed since 2016, when the ANC lost the city for the first time since 1994.

This introduced the era of coalition governance in the city and led to instability in the mayoral positions.

“The City of Johannesburg has been in free fall for a number of months. This is clearly evident when one reflects on the continued governance challenges, such as power outages and water shortages.

“Given this, it is unlikely that the ANC would do well in the metro during the next local government elections,” Solomon predicted.

DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku told The Citizen that Morero has failed to improve service delivery since he came into office for a second time on 16 August 2024. He previously held the position from 30 September 2022 until 25 October 2022.

“The Executive Mayor has failed to ensure that he conducts his duties in a fair and impartial manner. He forgets that he represents all the citizens of Johannesburg and has become an ANC mayor only,” she said.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said under Morero’s watch, corruption in the City of Johannesburg has gone unpunished.

“As the shareholder representative in all municipal entities, the executive mayor has failed to ensure accountability and consequence management at City Power, Johannesburg Water and Johannesburg Property Company (JPC).

“He has done little to nothing in holding officials accountable. This is despite damning reports with key risks identified by the Auditor General (AG),” she said.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the city has also been taken to court a number of times for questionable decisions and has lost. In some instances, with costs incurred.

“The executive mayor has failed to transparently respond to questions regarding litigation costs in cases the city could have resolved outside of court.”

Morero has also been publicly criticised for his handling of a water crisis in the city and suggestions that foreign nationals should be absorbed into the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).

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Does the DA have the numbers?

Despite the long list of faults placed at Morero’s feet, ActionSA has come out in full support of the mayor.

Gauteng chairperson Funzi Ngobeni said his party will “scrutinise” the reasons for the DA’s motion but believes the DA does not have enough support in council to succeed.

There are 270 seats in the Johannesburg council, and the DA needs 136 to remove Morero as mayor.

“The DA’s decision to table these motions without first engaging other parties underscores a clear lack of constructive intent.

“Their refusal to consult, even while knowing that no single party holds a majority and that a successful motion requires 136 councillors, exposes the performative nature of their actions.

“With only 70 councillors, especially after losing a crucial ward to the Patriotic Alliance, it is evident that the DA’s approach is not about building consensus to address the city’s governance challenges, but rather about grandstanding and undermining any real effort to resolve these issues,” he said.

While Morero has yet to respond to The Citizen‘s request for comment, he is set to address the motion when he delivers his response to the State of the City debate.

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