ANC in Joburg moves to recall mayor Dada Morero

The ANC in Johannesburg has taken a decision to recallDada Moreroas the city’s mayor. Sowetan’s sister publication, TimesLIVE can reveal that an urgent and special regional executive committee (REC) meeting on Saturday resolved to remove Morero as mayor. The regional officials have now been tasked with the duty to inform the provincial and national leadership of their decision.

According to several sources, the ANC in Johannesburg called the special REC after they were served with court papers challenging the legitimacy of the conference which took place in December, where Morero lost chairmanship of Johannesburg toLoyiso Masukuwho was later elected as the deputy mayor. The court papersin question, which this publication has seen, were filed by Stanley Itshegetseng, who is said to be Morero’s special advisor in the metropolitan municipality. In their meeting, the REC is said to have taken a dim view of this and effectively pointed to Morero as having been the force behind the court challenge.

“The REC is reviewing its decision to keep Dada as mayor because the relationship is irreconcilable as the state is used to undermine the elected leadership,” said a senior ANC regional leader. “We can’t co-exist. If we are to save the ANC and prepare adequately for elections, Dada [Morero] cannot continue to be allowed to abuse the state to undermine elected leadership and undermine the unity and cohesion of the ANC Another REC member was more direct in their comment, saying it had become clear that their relationship with Morero had become untenable and they could no longer work with him.

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If we are to save the ANC and prepare adequately for elections, Dada [Morero] cannot continue to be allowed to abuse the state to undermine elected leadership and undermine the unity and cohesion of the ANC,” said the REC member. They accused Morero of being behind a number of what they call “parallel programmes” that have been earmarked as “undermining the ANC regional leadership” since the December conference. Morero in January filed a formal complaint in a letter to Gauteng provincial task team co-ordinator Hope Papo and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, challenging the conference outcomes, raising concerns about the electoral committee that oversaw the conference. In the letter dated January 21, Morero said the Gauteng leadership must respond to complaints about how the electoral committee and its members were appointed, as well as how it ran the conference.

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