Delegates for the Johannesburg ANC regional conference will gather in Woodmead to elect new leadership.
Johannesburg mayor Dada Moero is expected to lock horns with the City’s MMC for Finance, Loyiso Masuku, for the leadership of the ANC in the metro.
This will take place at the ANC’s regional elective conference, which runs from Wednesday night through Friday.
Morero is the current chairperson, and Masuku is the regional deputy secretary.
Both candidates have been on the ground trying to convince branches that they are the right people to take the ANC in Johannesburg to the municipal elections next year.
This is what we know about Morero
Morero was born in Soweto and comes from a culture of student politics.
In 2011, he began his first term as ANC Regional Secretary in Johannesburg. He was re-elected to two further consecutive terms, serving three terms in total and becoming the longest serving regional secretary in Gauteng.
In this capacity, he was responsible for organisational oversight, branch coordination, and the implementation of ANC programmes. Some believe this position gives him the upper hand in the conference because of his relationship with the branches.
Morero was elected chairperson of his party in 2022.
He led the ANC at a time when coalition politics had already taken over the administration of Johannesburg.
He takes his former opponent at the last elective conference, Eunice Mgcina, as his running mate for the position of deputy chairperson.
Morero’s slate also includes Lebohang Tshabalala as secretary, Nomoya Mnisi as deputy secretary, and Maxwell Nedzamba as regional treasurer.
This slate has been described as a “unity” slate.
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What we know about Loyiso Masuku
Masuku also began her activism in student politics; she has served in different structures of the ANC, including the ANCYL, and the ANC Women’s League.
She is the wife of former Health MEC Bandile Masuku. The pair were involved in a controversial Covid-19 PPE scandal that has cast a cloud over them to this day.
Masuku was born in the Eastern Cape but has become an influential figure in Johannesburg’s regional politics.
She has held various roles in government, including in the City of Ekurhuleni and the Gauteng government under Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, and is currently the Finance MMC for the City of Johannesburg.
If she does get elected, she could become the first female ANC mayor of Johannesburg.
Her slate consists of the region’s spokesperson, Masilo Serekele, who is contesting for the position of deputy chairperson, Sasabona Manganye, the current regional secretary, who will contest for the same position, Lerato K Bob for the position of deputy secretary, and Maxwell Nedzamba.
It appears that Nedzamba appears on both slates.
Masuku’s slate has been described as the “people’s choice”.
The Citizen understands that there are currently two main factions, but the slates can change at any time.
Why is this conference important?
Political analyst Andre Duvenhage says this conference is important because whoever is elected has a chance of leading the ANC in Johannesburg into the local government elections. He said Johannesburg is also central to the country’s economic growth.
“The ANC was once a dominant party, so finding the right leadership is critical for a declining party. So, at the moment, what we are seeing is that corruption is very rife there, all sorts of problems. So, it is important for them to select the right leaders because even surveys are saying ANC support will continue to decline,” he said.
The ANC in Johannesburg remains the majority party in the council, with the most ward councillors.
“But they are facing a serious crisis. Not only in Gauteng but in other metros around the country,” he said.
Duvenhage believes that the two candidates contesting to become the regional chairperson of the ANC may not be strong enough to compete with bigwigs from opposition parties who have thrown their names in the ring as mayoral candidates. This includes the DA’s Helen Zille.
“We know people from other parties are presenting people with high profiles, so my take on this is that this competition between these two is problematic and could lead to divisions inside the ANC. It will limit them, and it will injure their profile… this is more of the same, and people are fed up with more of the same,” he said.
