Joburg mayor Dada Morero survives motion of no confidence

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero survived his motion of no confidence vote on Wednesday.

He won by 144 votes to 75.

Morero stood to applause and singing from his ANC caucus. With relief and a smile on his face, he shook the hands of several councillors who came forward to congratulate him.

Morero was among three top leaders in the municipal council who faced motions of no confidence. Chief Whip of Council Sithembiso Zungu also retained his position, while Speaker of Council, ActionSA councillor Nobuhle Mthembu was removed.

That means the City is now without a speaker, and the council will have to reconvene to elect one. In the meantime, the City Manager will preside at meetings and will call a special sitting to select a new speaker.

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One of the ANC’s biggest allies in the Gauteng province, ActionSA, abstained from the vote.

However, Morero was able to keep his position through the support of smaller parties and members of the government of local unity (GLU).

ActionSA said it would “not vote to defend an indefensible track record, especially when basic governance matters are being mishandled without consultation”.

ActionSA ‘complicit’, GOOD issue warning

UDM councillor Yongama Zigebe lambasted the party for its decision, saying abstaining was as good as being complicit.

“Those who sit on the fence today are not to be trusted by residents of Johannesburg. They are part of this game of instability.”

The Good Party said that while it was concerned about the state of the city and of Morero, removing the mayor would further destabilise Johannesburg.

“Our vote is not an endorsement [of Morero] but a wake-up call. Mayor Morero must use the power of his office not only to manage but to lead. This means restructuring his executive, confronting underperformance, and purging the rotten apples in his GLU coalition who are abusing public resources, blocking reform, or serving private interests over the public good.

“The City of Johannesburg needs a mayor with a backbone,” said GOOD National Chairperson and City of Johannesburg councillor Matthew Cook.

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) caucus leader, Mlungisi Mabaso, also called for stability.

“We must not repeat the turbulence that our residents have had to endure throughout this political term. We have an obligation to prioritise service delivery,” he said.

Positions over service delivery?

Former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda was rumoured to make a return if Morero was defeated, but this was quickly denied by the DA. Gwamanda told the council he and Al Jama-ah supported Morero.

“In accordance with a collection resolution [of the GLU], we reject a motion of no confidence against the incumbent. We are defending the current mayor,” he said.

The ANC’s Tefo Raphadu said Morero was making positive steps to improve the city.

“The city has a plan to turn around many of the challenges that we are facing, and in the nine months that we have been in power, we have demonstrated our ability to soldier on,” he said.

African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor and finance MMC Margaret Arnolds also praised the gains she claimed the city had made under Morero.

“Johannesburg was in crisis when Mayor Morero assumed office. He inherited a fractured coalition, a city plagued by service delivery backlogs and declining public trust; and yet in the face of all this he brought stability, direction, and results.

“He has put Johannesburg on the recovery path, guided by consultation, policy integrity, and a clear developmental vision,” she said.

The DA’s Alex Christians disagreed and said those residents who saw the motion being defeated will conclude that politicians in the GLU prioritised positions over citizens’ interests.

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