As tensions mount in the ANC Greater Johannesburg region ahead of its conference, some committee members have allegedly asked the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) to protest at the city council on Thursday during a visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa against what they call mayor Dada Morero’s incompetence.
The union said it was not planning to march, but would seek an audience with the president to air its grievances about the city’s leadership.
Ramaphosa and the national cabinet are expected to visit the Gauteng government and the Johannesburg city executive as part of the president’s interaction with all provinces to ensure alignment on the country’s medium-term development plan.
“The premier and members of the executive council will use the visit to update the president and ministers on the plans of the Gauteng provincial government to improve service delivery in the province,” the provincial government said in a statement.
Two weeks ago, the Mail & Guardian reported that Morero’s faction seemed to have the upper hand ahead of the regional conference, which is expected to sit from 20 to 22 June.
Although his re-election seems certain, fierce competition is brewing for the remaining top five positions. Key contenders have emerged for deputy chair, secretary, deputy secretary and treasurer, with internal alliances shaping the race.
Deputy regional secretary Loyiso Masuku was initially touted to contest against Morero, but looks increasingly likely to withdraw because of the support the mayor enjoys.
A source in the ANC’s regional executive committee (REC) said at the time that those aligned to Morero would use his name to advance their slate, which would probably see them elected.
This week, another REC member said Samwu was set to march during the president’s visit to show dissatisfaction with Morero. The protest had been sanctioned by the faction opposing Morero’s bid for a second term as regional chair.
“At the moment he has the support on the ground and people want him to come back as chair. The plan is to make the chair seem incompetent and to influence the president to remove him as mayor because they can not do it in the REC because the majority of the REC is in support of him,” the source said.
Two weeks ago Morero’s office said it had noted reports of an audio recording detailing scathing allegations cited in an article in The Star.
The statement said according to the publication, the audio clip was recorded in a clandestine meeting where two members of the mayoral committee, two ANC officials and a Rand Water official allegedly discussed strategies to destabilise the mayor’s leadership by “shutting down water flow from Johannesburg as long as possible”, suggesting that the water woes that have plagued the city have been orchestrated to portray Morero as unfit for his post.
The source said they were aware of the existence of the clip but those in the audio had threatened the journalist with legal action because the meeting was recorded without their knowledge.
“We know who they are but obviously we can’t just come out and say it,” the source told the M&G.
Another source said the Johannesburg metro police department had turned down Samwu’s request to hold the march because the president was visiting the city. They said the faction opposed to the mayor had previously called on Samwu to protest against Morero.
“It’s possible that this is what they wanted to do because they have done it before.”
Samwu Johannesburg regional secretary Thabani Nkosi said a delegation from the union would go to Thursday’s meeting, hoping for a chance to discuss the issues they have with the leadership of the city with Ramaphosa.
Last week, Samwu workers protested outside the Johannesburg council chambers during a sitting, demanding that the chief executive of the Johannesburg Property Company, Helen Botes, be removed from her role as the city’s acting chief operating officer. Botes is believed to be an ally of Morero.
Nkosi said Botes was “questionable” and the city could not find itself in a situation where it has her as a chief operating officer.
“We are not going to continue [protesting] this week. What we will do, if provided an opportunity, we will probably present our issues to the president tomorrow. We were even made aware by the City of Johannesburg officials through an invitation that the president will be here, so therefore they are inviting us,” he said.
Nkosi said Samwu had cut all its communications with the ANC regional executive because “they are just one bunch that is part of the government of local unity, so they can’t be telling us anything”.
He accused the local government of not serving the residents of Johannesburg and the employees of the city, saying those in power in the city were only looking after their own interests.
ANC regional secretary Sasabone Manganye denied the allegations, saying people were advancing agendas ahead of the upcoming conference.
“Why would a regional executive or why would Samwu allow itself to be used? What would be the reason? You know we are going to a conference,” Manganye said.
The ANC in the region also faces problems with its coalition partner ActionSA after Herman Mashaba‘s party refused to vote for an adjustment budget tabled in council.
Johannesburg chief financial officer Tebogo Moraka said the key highlights of the budget were the improvement in electricity revenue because of better billing as a result of no load-shedding in the first half of the financial year.
The bone of contention between the two parties is the R200 City Power surcharge for prepaid electricity. ActionSA’s refusal to vote for the budget has seen some in the ANC calling on the party to rethink the alliance. The feeling is that the Democratic Alliance (DA) would be willing to work with the ANC in the city.
DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the ANC had not approached her party in Johannesburg and that all coalition discussions were done through their federal negotiations team.
ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party refused to live in fear that the ANC would approach the DA for a coalition in Johannesburg. He said the budget reneged on the commitment made to the residents that the R200 surcharge would be reversed.
Manganye said even without ActionSA, the coalition had the required numbers to pass the budget and slammed the party’s stance.
“For us to allow them to have the speaker it was after they agreed to be in a coalition with us and that is why they sit in the political management committee of the GLU [government of local unity]. You can not sit in that committee if you are not in a coalition with us,” he said.
“If they are not in coalition with us it means forgo the speaker and the chairs of committee. We would have issues-by-issue relations with them and can not give them a key responsibility like a speaker if we are not in a coalition with them.”