ANC Greater Johannesburg secretary Sasabona Manganye says the region is avoiding factionalism. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Image: Timothy Bernard
The ANC in the greater Johannesburg region has been thrust into factionalism and divisions after its chairperson and mayor, Dada Morero, delivered his State of the City Address (Soca) on Wednesday.
Senior party members are aggrieved, claiming that Morero delivered the speech without consulting them.
Disgruntled sources within the party have criticised Morero, saying he is running the organisation like a dictator and has single-handedly run down Johannesburg.
"He has continued to make promises when the people of Johannesburg are looking for action…we have been saying to the organisation that he is not fit but they do not listen, now we are expressing our dissatisfaction to the media," one source said.
However, another senior member attributed these claims to the upcoming regional elective conference, dismissing it as factionalism and to those that did not want Morero as chairperson and mayor.
"Where have you ever heard of party members criticising their own party? Our comrades lack discipline and content…We are in a situation where we have lost the Metro because of the continuing internal fighting. This must stop," the insider said.
Efforts to reach ANC regional spokesperson, Masilo Serekele, were unsuccessful.
However, regional Secretary Sasabona Manganye had previously acknowledged that factionalism has always been a challenge in the organisation but that the conference preparations were being conducted organisationally, without consideration for factional divisions.
"Factionalism has always been a challenge in the organisation, and unfortunately, it is something we are still battling to defeat," Manganye said.
"In Johannesburg, historically, branches have rejected factional slates of leadership."
"The preparations processes are done organisationally, and no considerations of any divisions or factional groupings," Manganye had said.
The ANC Johannesburg region is preparing for its upcoming elective conference, scheduled to take place from June 20 to 22 this year.
It was previously indicated that the elective conference is expected to be highly contested, with two candidates vying for the position of chairperson.
Meanwhile, ActionSA's City of Johannesburg Chief Whip, Lebo Madukanene, has slammed Morero's Soca, calling it "long on nostalgia and short on substance".
Madukanene accused the Mayor of painting a picture of optimism that is not recognisable to the people living in Johannesburg's seven regions.
She said that the Mayor's address was "full of high-level targets and bureaucratic jargon, but without any accountability for decaying infrastructure, mushrooming informal settlements, and the daily indignities suffered by residents".
Madukanene accused Morero of downplaying the city's issues or attributing them to external forces, ignoring the City's own mismanagement. "The Mayor conveniently ignored the electricity surcharge—a burden placed on residents already battling inflation and load-shedding," Madukanene said.
She emphasised the need for restoring the rule of law in Johannesburg, saying that the city must devise aggressive strategies for revenue collection and deal with those intent on turning Johannesburg into a haven for slumlords.
However, Madukanene welcomed some of the Mayor's pronouncements, including declaring war on illegal immigrants and illegal mining, and the insourcing of security guards and cleaners.
"We cautiously welcome the declaration of a State of Disaster to combat illegality in the City of Johannesburg," Madukanene said.