Johannesburg braces for high-stakes council vote as deputy mayor post returns

Johannesburg’s council chamber is no stranger to drama, but Thursday’s sitting could prove especially pivotal.

On the agenda: the appointment of a deputy mayor for the City of Johannesburg. Looming over it all: a motion of no confidence against Mayor Dada Morero.

In a city where coalition politics often feels like a weekly chess match, the outcome could reshape the executive leadership overnight.

A new deputy in the middle of a storm

Insiders within the African National Congress (ANC) say Loyiso Masuku, recently elected as the party’s regional chairperson, is the frontrunner for the deputy mayor position.

Her potential appointment is widely seen as a strategic move. The ANC has faced both internal strain and growing opposition pressure in council. Installing a trusted regional leader in the executive could consolidate authority at a moment when stability is fragile.

The timing is not accidental.

The deputy mayor role, which is expected to cost over R1.2 million annually, has already sparked debate among councillors and residents questioning whether Johannesburg can afford additional executive posts while service delivery challenges persist.

City officials, however, argue that the role will replace an existing MMC position to contain costs and mirror governance models used elsewhere including in the City of Tshwane, where the deputy mayor also carries the finance portfolio.

Morero’s political tightrope

The vote on the deputy mayor comes as Morero once again faces political turbulence.

He previously survived a motion of no confidence after the ANC successfully pushed for the vote to be conducted by secret ballot, citing internal council rules. That decision shielded councillors from party-political pressure and allowed Morero to retain his seat.

But this time, things look different.

Council rules do not explicitly provide for secret ballots in removal proceedings, nor do they clearly empower the speaker to authorise one. As it stands, Thursday’s vote is expected to be conducted openly meaning every councillor’s position will be visible.

And visibility changes the stakes.

Opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA), are reportedly lobbying smaller parties and even dissatisfied ANC members to shift the numbers. A similar attempt by the DA in the past failed, but coalition arithmetic in Johannesburg is famously fluid.

Why the deputy mayor role matters now

The proposal to strengthen executive continuity did not appear overnight. In 2023, Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mzi Khumalo wrote to council urging it to consider reinforcing leadership structures. Political reshuffles delayed the idea until now.

For supporters, the deputy mayor position is about continuity and financial oversight in a metro that manages billions of rand and serves millions of residents.

For critics, the optics are harder to ignore: a costly executive addition during a time when residents regularly complain about potholes, power interruptions and billing disputes.

On social media, reactions have been mixed. Some Joburg residents argue that stable leadership is essential to prevent further coalition chaos. Others question whether creating high-paying posts addresses the city’s daily struggles.

“Fix the streets before fixing positions,” one user commented under a local politics thread this week.

A council vote with ripple effects

Johannesburg has cycled through multiple mayors in recent years, earning an unwanted reputation for political instability. Each motion of no confidence chips away at administrative continuity and investor confidence.

Thursday’s proceedings could either reinforce Morero’s position especially if the ANC closes ranks or trigger another leadership shift in South Africa’s economic powerhouse.

In a city that drives much of the country’s GDP, what happens inside the council chamber doesn’t stay there. It affects service delivery, infrastructure decisions and long-term planning.

For now, all eyes are on the numbers.

And in Johannesburg politics, numbers can change overnight.

{Source: IOL}

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