Johannesburg Mayor Quits, ANC's Dada Morero Seen As Most Likely Successor

News24 reports that Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has tendered his resignation to the council speaker. The report cites a statement released by the outgoing official this morning.

• Gwamanda has been facing continues criticism of his handling of the city's finances and infrastructure but his Al Jamah-ah party has long resisted calls for his ouster, recently arguing that only Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has the power to force his resignation.
• Gwamanda was installed as Johannesburg Mayor in May 2023 as Al Jamah-ah was able to leverage its status as a kingmaker in the metropolitan council. Holding just 3 seats in the 270-strong legislature, the party managed to strike a deal with the ANC, EFF and others, forming a government of local unity (GLU).
• Several local outlets reported that the front-runner to replace Gwamanda is ANC's Dada Morero. This was confirmed by ANC regional secretary Sasabona Manganye a couple of days back as he confirmed that "by Friday (...) you will have a new mayor that comes from the ANC."
• Gwamanda's resignation comes on the back of talks between the ANC and ActionSA after the latter party demanded it as a condition of any potential cooperation with the ANC. Talks were launched as relations between GLU partners turned sour, with the EFF left out of the new government of national unity (GNU).