Loyiso Masuku elected first female ANC Johannesburg chair as Morero defeated
Loyiso Masuku celebrates after being elected the first female ANC Johannesburg regional chair at the party’s conference in Sandton on Friday.
Image: X / Twitter
The ANC Johannesburg region has elected Loyiso Masuku as its new regional chairperson, making her the first woman to hold the position, with 184 votes, defeating outgoing chairperson and City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero, who received 149.
The results were announced on Friday at the party’s regional elective conference, currently under way at the Cedar Woods Hotel in Sandton.
Regional election results:
Regional Chairperson
• Loyiso Masuku - 184
• Dada Morero - 149
Regional Deputy Chairperson
• Eunice Mgina - 143
• Masilo Serekele - 188
Regional Secretary
• Sasabona Manganye - 205
• Lebogang Shabalala - 128
Regional Deputy Secretary
• Mnisi Nomoya - 157
• Lerato Bob - 187
Regional Treasurer
• Maxwell Nedzamba - 233
• Muzi Nkosi - 98
On Thursday, ahead of the vote, Morero again blamed the previous DA-led administration for the city’s declining revenue collection, rising debt levels and unauthorised expenditure, which he said had strained Johannesburg’s finances.
Reflecting on his three-year tenure as regional chair, which officially ended on Thursday, Morero said Johannesburg had made “notable progress” in cleaning up the city under his leadership.
“We are facing many challenges. As guided by the NEC, our challenges are systematic, structural and financial. Systematic meaning we are constantly experiencing operational inefficiencies,” he said.
Morero added that delays in infrastructure projects, service delivery backlogs and underfunded mandates had compromised the quality of services provided to residents. He said the city’s structural challenges stemmed from governance shortcomings, including weak accountability frameworks and oversight mechanisms.
He also acknowledged the municipality’s worsening financial position in recent years.
“Lastly, we are struggling to overcome the financial instability caused by the purple coalition. Slowly but surely, we are getting it right,” he said.
Morero, who has served as mayor since August 2022 and previously as MMC for Finance in 2023, again pointed to the DA-led coalition that governed Johannesburg between 2016 and 2021.
“Since 2016, there has been a visible decline in revenue collection efficiency, coupled with escalating debt levels and unauthorised expenditures. This has strained the city’s fiscal health,” he said.
He urged delegates to elect leaders capable of addressing the region’s challenges.
“Our challenges are complex and they need complex solutions. This 16th Regional Conference must internalise these challenges. You have a responsibility to give us leaders who can handle these challenges and deliver results. The world is watching,” he said.
The metro continues to face hijacked buildings, chronic water shortages, rolling power outages, pothole-ridden roads, illegal dumping, broken traffic lights, rampant crime and widespread municipal corruption. Residents have repeatedly expressed frustration over the city’s inability to resolve long-standing issues.
Now that Masuku has defeated Morere, the ANC must now decide whether Morero will remain mayor of Johannesburg for the remainder of the local government term, which ends in November 2026.
IOL Politics