JOHANNESBURG — The unexpected Dada Morero removal from the ANC task team has sparked widespread analysis concerning local governance failures and political maneuvering within the City of Johannesburg.
Morero, who currently serves as the Mayor of Johannesburg, was initially tapped to convene and spearhead the intervention committee designed to hold other mayors accountable. However, he was ousted from the role just days after his appointment. Governance and political analyst Sandile Swana argues that this rapid reversal is highly significant, marking what he describes as the first era in South African history where the ruling party operates outside the boundaries of its own written constitution.
According to Swana, the situation highlights a broader pattern of bypassing established party rules. He illustrated this by pointing to instances where the National Working Committee (NWC) defines a scope of work and provides a list of appointees to the secretary-general. Despite this, different names are often announced without consulting the Top Seven or the NWC. Swana noted the inherent conflict in Morero’s initial appointment, as he is an active mayor who would have been placed in charge of a committee meant to supervise him.
The analyst traced the acceleration of this practice—running both the party and the country without adhering to their respective constitutions—back to the Bulukan conference. He warned that such maneuvers signal deep-seated factionalism and opportunism as the country approaches next year’s elections, with political actors strategically positioning themselves for mayoral seats.
This internal political reshuffling occurs against a backdrop of severe municipal decay. Swana pointed out that approximately 82% of municipalities are currently in a deeply deteriorated state, a crisis that has persisted for a long time. He noted that only two municipalities, including Midvaal, are considered stable, though he cautioned that this stability does not automatically equate to superior service delivery. Meanwhile, the City of Johannesburg and numerous other municipalities remain financially distressed or entirely dysfunctional.
Addressing the timing of the intervention committee, Swana was highly critical of the ruling party’s motives. He argued that establishing such a task team merely five months before the local government elections is not driven by a genuine desire to fix systemic issues, but rather to show superficial improvements to voters.
Describing the pre-election intervention as both “tragic” and a “joke,” Swana emphasized that it is impossible to resolve 15-year-old structural problems in large municipalities within a five-month window. He suggested that if such an intervention committee had been established immediately following the 2021 elections and given a full five-year mandate, it would have been a credible and constructive effort.
Looking at the broader internal dynamics, Swana referenced reports alleging alignments between the secretary-general and leaders like Morero. He characterized these maneuvers as pure careerism, where individuals are placed in specific roles to advance personal ambitions rather than serve the public. Swana noted that this opportunistic behavior is not isolated to Gauteng but is also prevalent in the Eastern Cape, ultimately standing in direct violation of the core values of the African National Congress.