The ANC was locked in early morning meetings before council.
Days before the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, ANC leaders are squabbling over the city’s manager.
The Speaker of Council has invited councillors to a meeting that is expected to approve Floyd Brink’s reappointment to the position.
The Citizen can confirm that ANC leaders, including the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, were locked in a tense meeting two hours before the council meeting began on Thursday morning.
SABC News reports that the regional leader of the party, Dada Morero, is refusing to support the appointment of Brink as City Manager, while other regional leaders like Loyiso Masuku have given Brink the thumbs up.
Morero and Masuku are expected to face off in the upcoming regional elective conference for the position of regional chairperson.
The Citizen understands that the leadership of the ANC in Gauteng has been roped in to resolve the matter.
The provincial leadership of the party has played a critical role in setting up the coalition arrangement in Johannesburg and in other municipalities.
Candidates
Those close to the matter say Morero preferred the controversial former COO of the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), Helen Botes, to become the next City Manager.
However, Brink came up number one in interview scores.
Brink was competing with the CEO of the Council for the Built Environment, Dr Msizi Myeza, and the city’s COO, Tshepo Makola.
He had previously served as City Manager, but the Johannesburg High Court ordered him to step down from his post. The court found that his appointment was irregular.
A City in crisis
Speaking to The Citizen on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA), Yunus Chamda said that the city manager post has been left vacant for months.
“We are concerned about the vacancy that has existed for so long. Obviously, a city that is as big and complex as Johannesburg needs stability, especially in the most senior administrative position,” he said.
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