Morero seeks another term as Johannesburg mayor, urges voters to back ANC again
JOHANNESBURG — Dada Morero wants Johannesburg voters to give him and the ANC another chance. Speaking to eNCA on Monday, the city’s executive mayor said
JOHANNESBURG — Dada Morero wants Johannesburg voters to give him and the ANC another chance. Speaking to eNCA on Monday, the city’s executive mayor said he still believed he was the right person for the job as the party weighs its options before South Africa’s November 2026 local government elections.
The ANC named Morero, his deputy Loyiso Masuku and veteran party figure Reverend Frank Chikane as potential mayoral candidates over the weekend, but stopped short of confirming its final pick. Morero used the interview to argue that the party had worked to steady a city that had been under severe strain.
'We have worked hard'
Morero said the turnaround effort in Johannesburg should count for something. He pointed to the period between 2016 and 2022, saying the city’s condition when the ANC took over in 2023 showed the scale of the challenge.
“The work that we've done in Johannesburg, considering what has happened between 2016 and 2022, is an indication that since we took over power in 2023,” he said.
Short sentence. Heavy lift.
His comments echoed the message he delivered in his State of the City Address in May 2026, when he acknowledged the municipality’s infrastructure and financial problems but defended his record under the slogan: “We are a City at work.”
Race for Johannesburg
The ANC’s decision to hold back on naming final mayoral candidates leaves Johannesburg in a familiar political holding pattern. Morero is one of the names in play, alongside Masuku and Chikane, as the party prepares for a contest that could shape the leadership of Africa’s most populous city after November.
For the ANC, Johannesburg remains a critical test. The city has long been a political prize in South Africa, and control of its metro government carries weight beyond local administration, touching service delivery, public confidence and the party’s broader standing with urban voters.
Morero’s appeal is simple. Give the party a full mandate, and let its record speak at the ballot box. The final decision on who leads the ANC’s Johannesburg campaign is still to come.
