Joburg mayor’s ousting is ‘immaterial’ – Outa, analysts

The departure yesterday of Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda – whose successor is likely to be the city’s finance MMC Dada Morero – will not make a material difference to the municipal chaos and lack of delivery.

This is according to Wayne Duvenage, CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, on X yesterday, after the ANC announced Morero as the sole candidate to replace Gwamanda.

“This is merely moving the deckchairs on the Titanic,” he said.

“What needs to be done to convince political leaders of the need for visionary leadership and [be] tough on accountability, required to fix City of Joburg?”

ALSO READ: Gwamanda resigns: ANC appoints finance MMC Dada Morero amid coalition talks

Tensions between parties

There is, supposedly, a “government of local unity” in place in Johannesburg, following the establishment of the government of national unity after the 29 May elections… but whether that unity extends to the municipal level is questionable, given the snubbing of the DA by the ANC in the provincial legislature as far as a coalition is concerned.

Tensions between the two biggest parties in the council were evident yesterday as the ANC announced Morero’s nomination, with ANC Joburg region spokesperson Masilo Serekele saying the party tried to engage the DA but the DA said only Helen Zille has the powers to engage in coalition negotiations.

ALSO READ: WATCH: No agreement yet on Gwamanda’s removal, Al Jama-ah leader says

Joburg Crisis Alliance’s Julius Kleynhans told Newzroom Afrika yesterday that it doesn’t matter which party or candidate takes the mayorship.

He said the city must get someone seasoned and able to prioritise service delivery. The ANC-led majority coalition, which includes the ANC, EFF, Patriotic Alliance and minority parties, has 145 councillors – a majority in the 270-member council.

In addition to that, ActionSA promised to give its 44 votes to the ruling coalition on condition Gwamanda was ousted.

So it is almost a given Morero will be voted to take on the mayoral chain on Friday. Morero served briefly in 2022, after the DA’s Mpho Phalatse was voted out in a motion of no confidence.

She was later reinstated after a court ruled she had been illegally removed. Gwamanda , of the Al Jama-ah party, was a compromise between the ANC and the EFF. His resignation followed weeks of mounting pressure and negotiations by the ANC, clearing the way for an ANC mayor.

ALSO READ: New Johannesburg mayor to be elected on Friday

ActionSA Gauteng chair Funzi Ngobeni welcomed the recognition of the city’s state of decay and the need for proper leadership.

Ngobeni described Gwamanda’s tenure as characterised by failure and catastrophic incompetence, with the city’s downward spiral evidence of this.

“The previous mayor lacked authority and was unable to provide direction, resulting in a lack of stability.

“We thank the ANC leadership for accepting this reality and taking our advice to remove Gwamanda,” he said.

Ngobeni said Gwamanda’s resignation was a welcome first step toward rebuilding Johannesburg.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba announced last month he was ready to put personal differences aside and work with the ANC to stabilise Joburg, with Ekurhuleni being next.

Makhubele also thinks no significant change will occur

Former Joburg council speaker Colleen Makhubele said the change in mayorship would not bring significant change to the city’s state of affairs.

“If the current mayor is being asked to step down just to make way for someone within the same circle, it’s truly disappointing,” she said.

“The problem is political, not about performance. Removing the mayor won’t solve residents’ issues, such as water shortages and poor roads.”

She said this is a classic politicisation by the ANC’s bid to position itself ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

Independent political analyst Sandile Swana said: “We must judge Gwamanda against a known set of performance objectives. This coalition was scattered, with each party wanting to score points for themselves.”

ALSO READ: Gwamanda slams DA and ActionSA as pressure mounts for his removal [VIDEO]