JOHANNESBURG — The sudden removal of Dada Morero from an ANC task team designed to hold mayors accountable has intensified scrutiny over the state of governance within the City of Johannesburg.
Morero, the Mayor of Johannesburg, was initially announced as the convenor to spearhead the intervention committee but was removed from the position within days. Governance and political analyst Sandile Swana stated that this development is of great significance, arguing it marks an era where the ruling party operates outside its own written constitutional rules.
Swana highlighted that the move signals factionalism and opportunism ahead of next year’s elections, with individuals being strategically positioned for mayoral roles. Regarding municipal performance, he noted that only two municipalities, including Midvaal, are considered stable, though this does not necessarily indicate superior service delivery. He pointed out that the City of Johannesburg and other municipalities are financially distressed or totally dysfunctional, estimating that approximately 82% of municipalities are in a severely deteriorated state.
Explaining the constitutional breaches, Swana pointed to instances where the National Working Committee (NWC) outlines a scope of work and appointees for the secretary-general, only for different names to be announced without consulting the Top Seven or the NWC. He expressed surprise that Morero was initially appointed to head the local government intervention committee, given that he is an active mayor who would be supervised by that very committee.
Swana traced this practice of bypassing both the party and national constitutions back to recent party conferences, noting that the trend has accelerated. Addressing the timing of the task team’s establishment, he argued it is driven by the upcoming local government election year rather than a genuine desire to resolve long-standing issues.
Describing the five-month pre-election intervention as a “joke” and “tragic,” Swana asserted that deep-rooted, 15-year-old problems in large municipalities cannot be resolved in five months. He added that such an initiative would have been credible if implemented immediately after the 2021 elections with a five-year mandate to fix the problems.
Finally, Swana attributed these internal machinations to careerism and opportunism—positioning individuals to advance personal careers rather than serving the public. He noted this trend is evident not only in Gauteng but also in the Eastern Cape, stating it fundamentally contradicts the core values of the African National Congress.
