Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero. (Lubabalo Lesolle/Gallo Images)
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has allegedly promised the Al Jamah-ah party that if it votes in favour of Wednesday’s motion of no confidence to remove Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero, its candidate, former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, will take over the position.
Sources said Al Jamah-ah approached the DA, saying that if it could lobby other parties in the council to support Morero’s removal, they would demand a mayoral position — a demand the DA allegedly considered.
“They then told ActionSA that they had clinched a deal with the DA, and they are lobbying other parties to vote out the mayor and that they should also vote against Morero in the motion,” the source said.
“They met [ActionSA leader Herman] Mashaba, told him about the plan and discussed how positions would be shared.”
Last month, after Morero’s State of the City address, the DA submitted a motion of no confidence in him, ActionSA council speaker Nobuhle Mthembu and ANC council chief whip Sithembiso Zungu.
The DA’s motions against Morero and Zungu were accepted, but the motion against Mthembu was not.
This prompted Al Jamah-ah to submit its own motion against Mthembu, which succeeded.
The council is set to vote on three motions of no confidence on Wednesday — against Morero, Mthembu and Zungu.
A source said that during a heated political management committee (PMC) meeting on Monday, Al Jamah-ah was confronted and denied meeting the DA to discuss the removal of Morero, but admitted that it had spoken to ActionSA and the DA regarding the motion against Mthembu.
The PMC is made up of all political party leaders in the coalition government, of which Al Jamah-ah is a member.
Another source said Gauteng’s Al Jamah-ah representatives, Thapelo Amad and Gwamanda, also approached African Transformation Movement councillor Lubabalo Magwentshu, urging him to vote for Morero’s removal.
“We were aware since February [that] they lobbied another party in the PMC to vote against the mayor. We also know that they approached ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance to vote the mayor out.”
The source said that if the motion to remove Mthembu succeeds, it could spark significant conflict in the local government.
“We also know that Al Jamah-ah wants it; other parties also want that position. So the meeting between the ANC and ActionSA today is crucial. If the other parties decide to vote against the speaker, then it’s finished.
“We asked them about the allegations in the PMC and they denied it — but we know, and ActionSA has told us about this.”
Amad said it was incorrect to reduce the PMC and his party to Morero’s “perceived insecurities”, saying it was not their fault the mayor was concerned about his possible removal.
“If he wants to sustain what he has right now, he must continue lobbying to salvage the current situation. We are independent as an organisation and we do not report to the ANC,” Amad said.
He declined to confirm whether a deal for Gwamanda to take over the city was in place, saying discussions were ongoing as political parties deliberated on the motions.
“We are independent, and as an organisation we also have our own consultative processes. We remain committed to the GLU (government of local unity), and the DA has brought a motion to remove Dada,” he said.
“The DA is doing what the opposition is supposed to do, and we don’t interfere. If there’s a party line, we will vote according to that line.”
Amad admitted to meeting the DA and ActionSA — and some of their coalition partners — but said this was to discuss their motion against Mthembu and to ensure its passage.
He said they never denied meeting ActionSA.
“We did not hide it from Herman Mashaba; there were two motions, in actual fact, and ActionSA did not know about ours — only about the DA’s, which was inadmissible.
“Herman Mashaba heard about it for the first time when we met him. We operate within principles; we don’t operate with fear. The people who told you this are Dada’s sheep — and it’s fine — they can perpetuate the narrative.”
Amad said there was nothing wrong with lobbying other political parties to oust someone.
“We have a motion against the speaker, and the ANC had a bilateral agreement with ActionSA. ActionSA did not vote for the adjustment budget twice, and they have also not voted for the actual budget or the loan. This means that ActionSA has defined themselves outside the coalition.
“It is our responsibility as a coalition partner to have no confidence in ActionSA. If the ANC has a bilateral with ActionSA in the PMC, is it wrong for us to engage other political parties outside the bloc?”
Parties in the PMC have been calling for ActionSA’s speaker to be removed, saying the party often defines itself outside the coalition government.
ActionSA has consistently stated it is not part of the Johannesburg coalition, but will vote issue by issue.
On Monday, Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser‑Echeozonjoku denied meeting Al Jamah-ah about the possibility of Gwamanda taking over the city, saying they do not discuss coalition agreements at a local level.
“Some political parties, which I will not name, said they would support it. I’ve never heard of discussions with Al Jamah-ah. We are supporting the motion against the speaker because we submitted it, and ours was deemed inadmissible.
“All the people who have said they want to remain anonymous are now being bullied and being urged to abstain — we are aware of that.”
She said that if Morero were to be removed, provincial and national leaders would discuss coalition arrangements.
Asked whether the DA would support another candidate to replace Morero, Kayser‑Echeozonjoku said she could not comment on speculation until the leadership had met.
“At this point, 24 hours is a long time in politics, and we don’t know what could happen in the next 24 hours.”
Morero said the motions of no confidence against him and Zungu would be defeated, but he was coy about Mthembu’s fate.
“The motion is coming tomorrow and we hope to elevate it to become the first item in council. We have taken a decision collectively, as the government of local unity, that we will vote against the motion.”
With a council composition of 141 votes, Morero needs 136 to defeat the motion.
Morero said he could only speak about the motions against ANC members, predicting those would be defeated.
He said there has been no breakdown in the relationship between the ANC and Al Jamah-ah.
“If there was any breakdown, we would already be in discussions. So far, there are no issues that we are aware of between the ANC and Al Jamah-ah. They are part of the political management committee. We were in a meeting last night just to finalise our strategy for tomorrow.”
Morero said ActionSA is not part of the PMC — which means it cannot attend these meetings — and that negotiations between the ANC and ActionSA are ongoing.
“The ANC is still in discussions with ActionSA. We agreed to reconvene tonight to discuss our approach for the council meeting. There are broader issues between the ANC and ActionSA, which have been under negotiation since early May, and those discussions are ongoing.”