The African National Congress (ANC) has launched a sharp criticism against several of its coalition partners following the filing of a motion of no confidence in Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero, labeling the move a “desperate and opportunistic” attempt to destabilize the city’s progress.
The motion was brought by the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Al Jamah, African Transformation Movement (ATM), and African Heart Congress (AHC). The parties cited Mayor Morero’s alleged interference in administrative processes and a failure to implement decisions from the city’s Political Management Committee as the basis for their action.
The ANC has responded with strong disapproval, asserting that the allegations are unfounded and that the motion bypasses established coalition dispute mechanisms.
In an interview, ANC Secretary for Greater Johannesburg, Sasabona Manganye, expressed shock and regret over the move. He revealed that the coalition partners had not raised any concerns about the mayor during a meeting held just this past Monday.
“We were just shocked through media reports that they have an intention to put a motion of no confidence,” Manganye stated. “We had a meeting with them on Monday to discuss their own challenges as the collective small parties. They have never raised even a single issue about the mayor.”
Manganye vehemently defended Mayor Morero’s performance, citing significant achievements in a short period. “The executive mayor is doing very well in the city in terms of ensuring that we reclaim our inner city, we clean up the inner city, we reclaim our buildings and a number of service delivery achievements,” he said.
He characterized the motion as a disruptive tactic, accusing the partners of “grandstanding in the media houses” rather than using internal platforms. Manganye confirmed that the issue was addressed in a meeting of the Political Management Committee on Tuesday, where the ANC reaffirmed the proper channels for raising concerns.
“We agreed in principle that those parties, the door of the African National Congress is open. Whatever issues they have, they always have a platform even in the political management council,” Manganye said. He emphasized that the motion is seen as an attack not just on the mayor, but on the ANC itself.
The ANC secretary concluded that the conduct of the four parties was “very disturbing and highly regrettable,” and vowed that the ANC would “be able to deal with that” as the leading party in the coalition.
The motion highlights the ongoing fragility of coalition politics in the Johannesburg metro, casting uncertainty on the stability of the city’s government as the motion proceeds.