Despite growing financial and service delivery issues in the nation's largest metro, the African National Congress (ANC) has publicly supported Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero despite dismissing two executive mayors in less than a week for failing communities.
The ruling party promptly recalled Emfuleni Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe last week, citing persistent deficiencies in service delivery and deteriorating municipal conditions. The ANC also promptly recalled Madibeng Executive Mayor Douglas Seleke Mainane on Tuesday, the second mayoral removal in less than a week.
The back-to-back recalls signal a tougher approach to accountability ahead of the local government elections.
However, critics have also raised questions about how the ANC applies that standard after Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula recently praised Morero's leadership despite Johannesburg grappling with financial strain, water shortages, and infrastructure challenges.
"The ANC deploys its cadres to serve the people and not to serve themselves. A deployment to public office is a responsibility held on behalf of our communities, and it is held only for as long as the cadre advances the mandate of the movement," the party said in announcing Mainane's removal.
The ANC further warned that "No individual ambition will be allowed to stand above the needs of the people."
The recall mirrors the justification used days earlier in Emfuleni, where ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the municipality's persistent service delivery failures could no longer be ignored.
"The African National Congress does not deploy public representatives to occupy office; we deploy them to serve. Where the service falters, the movement must act for the people. Today we have acted for the people of Emfuleni," Mbalula said.
The Star has previously reported extensively on Emfuleni's struggles, including recurring water disruptions, sewage spills, deteriorating infrastructure, mounting debt, and growing frustration from residents over the state of service delivery.
Yet while the ANC has acted decisively against mayors in Emfuleni and Madibeng, the party has adopted a markedly different tone towards Morero, whose administration is facing intense scrutiny over the city's worsening financial position and recurring service delivery crises.
Morero recently announced plans to sell vacant city-owned land valued at R3.2 billion as part of efforts to stabilise the municipality's finances. The move comes as Johannesburg continues to face significant financial pressure, ageing infrastructure and prolonged water outages that have sparked protests in several communities and warnings from the National Treasury over the city's financial health.
Despite these challenges, Mbalula recently came out strongly in support of Morero.
"Dada Morero is doing a great job in Johannesburg. Under difficult circumstances, working with other coalition partners, the city of Johannesburg has found itself over time (with), big challenges in its financial situation, and therefore, they had to deal with that," he said.
Mbalula further argued that many of Johannesburg's problems predated the current administration.
"Now the ANC, coming into the city, having governed this city for the longest of time, safe, with a surplus, came back and found this city almost bankrupt."
The Star
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