The political musical chairs that have been a feature of Johannesburg politics are about to get into high gear again, with the election this week of finance MMC Loyiso Masuku to head the ANC’s Johannesburg region.
In a race marred by votes-for-money allegations, she triumphed over the incumbent, Dada Morero, and is now likely to be elevated to the mayor’s office. Congratulations are in order, as she is the first woman to hold this post in the ANC, and would be the second woman to wear the city’s mayoral chain in the democratic era.
Yet who would want to be in the hot seat of South Africa’s most important city? Masuku clearly would, and to that end she and her supporters went up against a powerful figure in Morero, who even his critics had to admit had done well in getting the city looking halfway decent for the G20 summit. To impress our foreign visitors, the city was cleaned up, potholes were repaired, the lights stayed on and there was running water. All of these would seem standard requirements for a city that prides itself on being a world-class African metro. But alas, in the case of Johannesburg, it took a high-profile international event to lift the city from its lethargy.
But alas, in the case of Johannesburg, it took a high-profile international event to lift the city from its lethargy
If Morero’s actions in cleaning up the city were laudable, it is also true that they came after a less-than-gentle prod from President Cyril Ramaphosa. In March this year, after attending a G20 preparatory meeting in the city, he commented that it was not a “pleasing environment”. A presidential task team was set up to help the city regain its lustre, and both Ramaphosa and Morero emphasised this team would carry on its work beyond the G20. Morero was criticised, though, for prioritising the routes that the G20 delegates would follow and putting important visitors before ratepayers and residents.
In electing Masuku for the top job, the ANC delegates have taken a gamble. For one thing, Johannesburg mayors are now notoriously vulnerable to being deposed by votes of no confidence. The ANC’s arrangements with smaller, fringe parties, and the desperation to keep the DA out of office, have seen two mayors elected from the minority Al Jama-ah party, both of whom had short-lived spells in office. Just this week, a planned vote of no confidence in Morero was pulled, but the threat is ever present.
Masuku also comes with a cloud over her head, which the ANC delegates either chose to ignore or which they may have regarded as a badge of honour. Although she was officially “cleared” of any wrongdoing in a R125m PPE scandal during the Covid lockdown, her critics remained sceptical.
She certainly has her work cut out for her, and her performance in the months ahead will help voters judge whether she is a better choice than the DA’s Helen Zille, who is likely to mount a well-funded campaign next year. Between protests over water and electricity services, a public outcry over the mega salaries being paid to heads of city departments, and continuing questions about the city’s finances, Masuku has a bumpy road ahead.
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