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A dramatic Friday as City of Joburg elects Dada Morero as mayor after Mpho Phalatse gets the chop

The DA has lost the City of Joburg to the ANC after falling out with parties who are a part of the multiparty coalition.
A dramatic Friday as City of Joburg elects Dada Morero as mayor after Mpho Phalatse gets the chop DA opposition party members break out in song and dance . 30 September 2022, Johannesburg. Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed.
Queenin Masuabi
By Queenin Masuabi
30 Sep 2022
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It was a chaotic morning in the City of Joburg as parties had now former mayor Mpho Phalatse’s future in their hands. The motion of no confidence in Phalatse was the first agenda item that saw the DA leading a series of disruptions. 




The back-and-forth between parties aligned with the DA and those aligned with the ANC continued for about an hour before Speaker Colleen Makhubele could begin the business of the day. Eventually, the motion was passed  with 139 councillors voting for Phalatse to be removed. The votes came from the Patriotic Alliance, the United Independent Movement, Al Jama-ah, the African Independent Congress, African Heart Congress, UDM, Good, Cope and the African Transformation Movement. Multiparty coalition partner ActionSA did not attend the sitting, while the IFP decided to abstain from the vote. 



Disgruntled DA members decided to leave the chambers after Phalatse was removed, which left 145 councillors who had to vote in a new mayor. Good party’s Lloyd Phillips then nominated ANC caucus leader Dada Morero. By virtue of being the only nominee, Morero was then announced as the new executive mayor of the city by Makhubele. 



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Cheers came from the gallery as minority parties and ANC members sang and danced. 

At the same time, Phalatse’s bid to have the sitting interdicted was struck off the roll by the Johannesburg High Court without costs. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Cope’s Colleen Makhubele unshaken after causing a stir in Joburg coalition government”

The court’s reasoning was that Phalatse had already been ousted before the matter could be heard virtually.

Joburg Council members in dispute on 30 September 2022. (Photo:  Shiraaz Mohamed)



DA opposition party members break out in song and dance. (Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed)



Phalatse believes that procedures were not followed to call the programming meeting and that some members of the committee were notified at the very last minute. She notes that at least three days’ notice should have been given for the council sitting. 

Morero promises to fix the City of Joburg

Morero then delivered his first address in which he said he would prioritise balancing council’s finances, developmental service delivery and implementation of the energy sustainability strategy to ensure the delivery of conventional power.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “What happens in Joburg now? No mayor can stop our city from breakdown”

“It is heart-breaking that the city’s main entities are financially on their knees with unsustainable overdrafts, such as City Power on an R8-billion negative cash balance. How do we fix a city that has financially collapsed? Ten months of golden promises have taken us 100 years back. Indeed, the City is not financially stable. Collectively we can fix this mess. Thank you for trusting us with the task of leading the City of Johannesburg,” he said. 



Morero also thanked the minority parties that had propelled him to his new position: “Today is a good day. It is a good day to fall in love again. To the minority parties, well done. You got us to this point and for that we thank you. Minority parties must never be undermined. They earned their seat in Council and their voice must be heard.

Who is Dada Morero? Read a short bio here:

“Thank you to the EFF and PA, political parties in council that used their consciousness to create a historical change in the City of Johannesburg. Thank you to the African National Congress for trusting me with the task of leading the people of Johannesburg.” DM

 

Comments (9)

Gazeley Walker Oct 1, 2022, 09:18 AM

It is mind boggling to try and understand why these minority parties, who are fully aware of the corrupt and self serving action of the previous ANC administration, the total lack of service delivery, on any level, can support another ANC deployed cadre as mayor. Either they are short on memory, or more likely, deep on full pockets. Do not be fooled by the new speaker, Colleen Makhubele, she is a very, very ambitious individual, one who craves power and attention, and I fear will put her own political career ahead of any "service" she may provide to Johannesburg citizens.

Malcolm McManus Oct 1, 2022, 09:12 AM

I wish these matters could be handled like a successful business. Mature adults don't sing and dance when they have achieved something. These cadres and associates are honestly very much like children at preschool.

Donald Clark Oct 1, 2022, 08:25 AM

All I can say is thank goodness we've sold our properties in that city. The arrogance of all the parties involved - one wonders when they'll actually do what they're mandated to...

Johan Buys Oct 1, 2022, 07:22 AM

Oh well, another few plane loads of people will be semigrating out of Johannesburg before the year is done.

Easy Does It Oct 1, 2022, 07:12 AM

One wonders how many bags of mine the ANC handed out to win this one. Could have been a round of cheapies they bought because they don’t have enough to pay salaries. Now with their hands in the cookie jar at least staff may get paid.

Luan Sml Sep 30, 2022, 11:56 PM

What an unfunny joke… reminds me of that Judy Garland song “ Be A Clown, Be A Clown, All The World Loves A Clown. Be A Poor Silly Ass And You'll Always Travel First-Class..” That’s politics for you, rent-seekers shoving and fighting to be first at the feeding trough, voters rights trampled in the melee!

Eberhard Knapp Sep 30, 2022, 09:13 PM

Sad, very sad... Why are South Africans willingly and consciously destroying their own cities, their own country...! So that a few fat cats may grow even fatter!!

Jon Cruise Sep 30, 2022, 07:16 PM

Hi DM - they updated that link quickly, although their Covid 19 notice is still up. They can change profiles the same day, but apparently still don’t want people to visit them. As Musk said about purely remote working - let them pretend to work elsewhere. Apparently that’s what the new Mayor has decided to do…

Hermann Funk Sep 30, 2022, 06:05 PM

“Thank you to the EFF and PA, political parties in council that used their consciousness to create a historical change in the City of Johannesburg." The country is deep in the brown stuff, having to rely on parties such as the EFF and PA.

Cunningham Ngcukana Sep 30, 2022, 11:27 PM

It is an offence to interfere with a public representative in the discharge of his or her duties and it is unconstitutional also. This is part of our common law and the Constitution. When Boris Johnson interfered with MPs opposed to his politics of vandalism, the MPs came together and filed a report to the speaker and the legal advice they received were to lay charges against him for interfering with the discharge of their parliamentary duties. When public representatives swear an oath, they swear and oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the country not a coalition. This oath is sacrosanct and Colleen Makhubele is correct. Any legal plumber who does not understand the Constitution on this, and that the English common law is part of our sources of law must go and get change from the institution that he or she got the legal qualification. The fact that Mervyn Dirks chose an administrative route does not mean that he could not lay criminal charges against Pemmy Majodina and any ANC clown that threatened him. If police do not want to open a criminal case you go to IPID or to court to enforce such. Colleen Makhubele can lay charges against the clown of COPE called Dennis Bloem.