ANC regional chairperson and City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero is set to go head-to-head with regional secretary and MMC for Finance Loyiso Masuku as the party’s 15th Greater Johannesburg Regional Conference gets underway today.
The Greater Johannesburg Region, one of the ANC’s most influential structures, will elect new leadership at a time when the party faces growing pressure to stabilise governance in the country’s economic hub. Leadership contests in the region often mirror national political dynamics and can significantly impact coalition arrangements in the city.
Morero, who is seeking another term as regional chairperson, is said to have secured the support of ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and allies of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Speaking ahead of the gathering, Morero said preparations were on track and the conference was expected to begin as planned.
“The Regional Task Team had the final meeting yesterday [Monday] and today [Tuesday] they are still left with two items on the agenda,” he said.
“We have adopted the program of the conference with is starting tomorrow [Wednesday].”
His opponent, Masuku, enters the race with the backing of both the ANC Women’s League and the Youth League. Her candidacy has reignited calls within the party to elect its first woman regional chairperson, after the ANC failed to do so at its 2022 conference.
The contest is seen as a critical test of the ANC’s renewal agenda, internal gender transformation commitments, and the balance of power among its various factions.
There is pressure within the ANC to elect its first woman chairperson after the party failed to do so at the 2022 conference, where Morero defeated then-deputy regional chairperson Eunice Mgcina. This has made the upcoming contest especially close.
The conference is expected to run to Friday.
