“This Is Not the Time for Scrambles”: Mbalula Rebukes Calls for Joburg Mayor Morero to Step Down

A party conference loss sparks a leadership tug-of-war inside the ANC’s Joburg structures

Johannesburg politics never stays quiet for long, and the ANC’s latest regional conference has sparked yet another wave of internal friction. Days after Joburg mayor Dada Morero failed to secure re-election as the ANC’s regional chairperson, a faction within the party began calling for his resignation from the mayoral office.

But ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is having none of it.

Speaking with characteristic fire, Mbalula dismissed the demands as opportunistic power grabs that distract from the real crisis facing the ANC in Johannesburg: declining public trust, a fractured support base, and the reality of governing through unstable coalitions.

And, more urgently, with service delivery under pressure across the city, residents aren’t exactly interested in whether party factions feel there are “two centres of power.”

A Lost Chairmanship Sparks New Tensions

Morero’s fall from the regional chairperson position has become the lightning rod for the latest internal skirmish.

At last week’s ANC Johannesburg Regional Conference in Woodmead, Morero was defeated by Loyiso Mauku, who walked away with the leadership after a tight contest. Shortly after the result was announced, the ANCYL in Johannesburg led calls for Morero to resign as mayor, arguing that his loss creates conflicting leadership structures.

In ANC tradition, yesthe regional chair is normally the preferred mayoral candidate. But Johannesburg no longer follows predictable political scripts. Coalition deals, fractured party representation, and tight council votes have reshaped how mayors are chosen in the metro.

And Mbalula reminded his comrades of exactly that.

“Dada Is Mayor Because Other Parties Allowed It”, Mbalula

Mbalula, in peak SG mode, blasted the push for Morero’s removal as short-sighted and rooted in personal ambition.

He reminded party members of an uncomfortable truth: the ANC didn’t win Johannesburg. The mayoral chain came through coalition arithmetic, not electoral dominance.

“Being chairperson of a region does not give you the status of a mayor, especially in a City where you have lost,” he said.
“Even the fact that Dada became a mayor is a favour that other parties have done for us.”

That comment hit home on social media, with many South Africans pointing outsometimes mockinglythat Johannesburg has changed hands so many times in the last few years that no one even remembers who the original election winner was.

X users weighed in with posts like:
“Joburg mayors rotate more than tyres on the M1.”
“ANC fighting over a mayoral position they didn’t win is sending me.”

Underneath the humour, however, is a deeper frustration: residents want stability, not political chess games.

“People Are Fighting Over Scrambles”

For Mbalula, the internal outcry over Morero’s future exposes a long-standing culture problem inside the ANCone where debates about positions overshadow discussions about governance and service delivery.

He made it clear the party should be focused on clawing back lost ground ahead of next year’s local elections.

“The first thing people talk about is who must become the mayor.
That cannot be the preoccupation of the movement.”

Mbalula emphasised that Loyiso Mauku, the new regional chair, is capable and respected, but leadership transitions should not trigger a destabilising purge in the metro.

His message was simple: Fix the ANC before fighting for positions within it.

A Divided Region Heading Into a Tough Election Season

Behind the scenes, the ANC in Johannesburg is emerging from the Woodmead conference bruised.

Reports of vote-buying, complaints about the electoral process, and whispers of alliances formed behind closed doors have deepened internal mistrust. The region now faces the unenviable task of preparing for one of the most competitive local elections in the city’s historywhile fighting its own internal battles.

Some in the party have even floated the idea of bringing in a national leader to serve as the mayoral candidate next yeara drastic but telling sign of the ANC’s anxiety in Johannesburg. For now, that remains unconfirmed.

But what is certain is this: the party is running out of time to pull itself together.

Service Delivery vs. Party Politics

While ANC factions shuffle for influence, Joburg residents continue battling the everyday crises that have become painfully familiar:

• Unscheduled water cuts

• Collapsing infrastructure

• Potholes that gain celebrity status

• Load shedding that turns suburbs into ghost towns

• Endless billing disputes

For many locals, the calls for Morero’s resignation feel detached from real-life concerns.

At taxi ranks, on WhatsApp community groups, and across social media, the question remains the same:
“How does any of this fix the city?”

And Mbalula, in his own blunt way, seems to agree.

A Battle for Power… but Also a Battle for Relevance

The ANC’s challenge in Johannesburg is bigger than who occupies the mayoral office. It’s about restoring credibility in a city that has grown tired of political dramas and coalition chaos.

Mbalula’s intervention signals that national leadership is wary of another self-inflicted wound ahead of elections.

Whether his words will calm the stormor simply spark a new oneremains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: the ANC cannot afford to fight itself when voters are watching with folded arms.

{Source: The Citizen}

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