Dada Morero elected as Mayor of Joburg

Councillor Dada Morero from the African National Congress (ANC) has been officially elected and sworn in as the new executive mayor of the City of Joburg. The City Council voted on Friday, 16 August 2024 at the Connie Bapela Council Chambers in Braamfontein.

The Speaker of Council in the City, Cllr. Margaret Arnolds, congratulated the new mayor on his election and wishes him all the best as the Metro undergoes ‘a transformative period’.

“The Challenges our City faces are vast, but with strong, united leadership I believe we can overcome them. I encourage all Councillors and City officials to support Mayor Morero in his mission to uplift our communities and improve the lives of all Johannesburg residents,” the Speaker stated.

Councillor Morero previously served as the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance, under the leadership of Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda of the Al Jama Ah party.

Mayor Morero will have a second tenure on the City’s top seat, which he previously occupied in October 2022 and was ruled out a month later through the courts.

Three days prior, Gwamanda submitted his resignation as the Executive Mayor of the City. According to a statement, this was in line with the political engagements that were influenced by the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU). He served the City since June last year. The coalition in the City, led by the ANC is called Government of Local Unity, which took power in January last year and appointed Thapelo Amad.

“As the youngest Mayor of Johannesburg I am humbled by the opportunity to have led this City and to have stabilized it financially and administratively following the collapse of the Multi-Party Coalition Government,” Gwamanda said in a statement.

The official opposition party, the DA, said that the events that have unfolded in the Council sitting including the denial of their motion to hold fresh elections, is an indication of the City’s demise. Cllr Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, who was the second candidate vying for the mayoral position, said councillors who sided with Morero chose to ‘align themselves with the ANC’s legacy of corruption and decline’.