Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero at the official handover of the Southern Farms Housing Project. (X)
City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero survived a motion of no confidence on Wednesday, but ActionSA speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, was removed from her post.
Of the councillors present, 144 voted for Morero, 75 against him, while 43 abstained. As for Mthembu, 212 voted for her removal, and 48 against.
Highly placed sources told the Mail & Guardian prior to voting that Morero and ANC council chief whip Sithembiso Zungu would survive the motions, given their numbers in the council, while Mthembu is likely to be replaced by a speaker from a minority party.
The ANC regional task team (RTT) resolved in a meeting on Tuesday that ActionSA had “defined itself outside the government of local unity”, which leads the Johannesburg metro.
The RTT coordinator, Sasabone Manganyi, said the ANC’s provincial coordinator, Hope Papo, and his deputy, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko met ActionSA chair Michael Beaumont and provincial secretary Evelyn Mondlana, who indicated they would not support Morero.
“The ANC then decided to vote against the speaker from ActionSA, citing their failure to work and support the coalition government on critical council items like budget and appointment of acting senior officials,” Manganyi said.
The motion of no confidence against Mthembu was brought by Al Jamah-ah, which forms part of the coalition government, while the motion against Morero and Zungu was brought by the Democratic Alliance.
A source said Mthembu “is going” and that this was decided at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We [the ANC] are fine, but we are removing her,” the source said.
In a statement on Wednesday, ActionSA provincial chair Funzi Ngobeni said the party had met the ANC and conveyed that it will not vote to defend Morero in the motion of no confidence.
Ngobeni said the decision was taken with full knowledge that ActionSA’s refusal will probably result in the ANC retaliating against Mthembu in the motion tabled against her.
ActionSA has, in the past, said it would only vote on an issue-to-issue basis.
This has angered those in the coalition government, who have called for ActionSA to be removed and replaced by minority parties.
“Our decision takes place against the background of ActionSA’s agreement last year to enter the legislature strictly to support the government of local unity on an issue-by-issue basis, in order to prevent the city from being held ransom by coalition tensions in other municipalities,” said Ngobeni.
“In considering ActionSA’s approach to these motions, we remain unequivocal in our view that Dada Morero has failed in his leadership of the City of Johannesburg.”