Johannesburg’s 11th mayor in 10 years has been sworn in. On 16 August, the ANC’s Dada Morero replaced Al Jama-ah’s Kabelo Gwamanda, who was installed as mayor last year after his party colleague Thapelo Amad resigned after just four months as leader of South Africa’s biggest metro.
The Al Jama-ah mayors were put in place with the support of an ANC-EFF coalition that removed the DA’s Mpho Phalatse in January 2023.
The council whirlygig began with a series of tragedies in 2021. After ANC mayor Geoff Makhubo died from Covid-19, Jolidee Matongo was appointed. When he was killed in a car accident six weeks later, Mpho Moerane took up the position until the local government elections. In the coalition chaos that followed, Phalatse was elected as mayor.
When she was ousted through a motion of no confidence less than a year later in October 2023 , Morero began his first stint – which only lasted 25 days before a court ordered that Phalatse be reinstated. She was removed again four months later.
In his acceptance speech, Morero said the disruption caused by the high number of leadership changes since the ANC first lost control of the city to the DA in local government elections in 2016 could not continue.
‘Cities are meant to be developmentally resilient and sustainable because they shape the form of societies. We must rise above our day-to-day challenges so that we can reimagine a Johannesburg inclusive and colourful and full of love,’ he said.