Morero left hanging as ANC casts net wider for mayoral hopefuls

The ANC’s top seven officials are this week expected to finalise the shortlist of the party’s potential mayors in the eight metropolitan municipalities across the country.

The party is for the first time planning to name and use the faces of its mayoral candidates — especially for the metros — in campaigning ahead of the local government elections on November 4.

The ANC is in coalition arrangements in almost all the metros and is at risk of losing them completely, especially the critical ones such as Johannesburg, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

In Johannesburg, where the ANC has been struggling with service delivery issues and is expected to face an uphill battle, the party is considering its veterans and a businesswoman as potential candidates that could go toe-to-toe with the DA’s Helen Zille and ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba.

The head of the ANC’s integrity commission, Rev Frank Chikane, former finance deputy minister Jabu Moleketi and businesswoman Chichi Maponya are among those being considered by the party’s top officials, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

There are about five or six people shortlisted, including Maponya, Chikane, Loyiso and Moleketi

—  Highly placed ANC source

The ANC’s Joburg regional chair, Loyiso Masuku, who is the city’s current executive deputy mayor, is also in the running.

“There are about five or six people shortlisted, including Maponya, Chikane, Loyiso and Moleketi,” said a highly placed ANC source.

Chikane is an anti-apartheid veteran who chairs the party’s integrity commission, which was key to the dismissal of ANC Women’s League president Sisisi Tolashe as a cabinet minister.

He has the backing of the ANC Veterans’ League and also enjoys the support of some leaders at Luthuli House.

Maponya is an entrepreneur and the daughter of the late Soweto-born business mogul Richard Maponya.

Moleketi is a former deputy minister of finance and former Vodacom chair.

We got to the REC meeting as per the guidelines, and we were told that, actually, the regional working committee decided that we are only submitting one name, which is Masuku

The exclusion of current mayor Dada Morero’s name has not gone down well with some in the ANC.

A regional executive committee (REC) insider told the Sunday Times that the nomination process was flawed from the inception.

“We got to the REC meeting as per the guidelines, and we were told that, actually, the regional working committee decided that we are only submitting one name, which is Masuku ... They sidelined the REC from the process,” the source said.

“They did all this strong-arming because they didn’t want Dada Morero’s name appearing. Dada doesn’t necessarily seek re-election; I think he just wants to leave with his dignity intact. He wants to be part of the pool of names, that’s all.”

In Ekurhuleni, current mayor and ANC regional chair Nkosindiphile Xhakaza is up against his friend-turned-foe, regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi. Theirs are the only two names that were submitted to the top seven officials for consideration.

The list submitted by the Tshwane region, which had the current roads & transport MMC Tlangi Mogale as one of the mayoral candidates, has been sent back for further consideration.

The Herald newspaper reported this week that former ANC Youth League deputy president Andile Lungisa had emerged as a frontrunner on the ANC’s proportional representation (PR) councillor candidate nomination list in Nelson Mandela Bay, which he believes has strengthened his mayoral ambitions.

Lungisa said he wants the leading PR councillor candidate to assume the mayoral chain if the party wins an outright majority or secures a coalition after the elections. Lungisa is reportedly leading in terms of branch nominations.

According to sources, Buyelwa Mafaya, Nelson Mandela Bay’s MMC for infrastructure, and current mayor Babalwa Lobishe are also being considered as potential candidates.