WITH municipal elections just around the corner, ANC councillor Jolidee Matongo has emerged as a favourite to succeed the deceased Joburg mayor Geoff Makhubo.
This comes after the meeting of the Greater Johannesburg Regional Executive Committee (REC) at the weekend to nominate three candidates for the mayoral position for submission to the Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) for the NEC’s final decision at the weekend.
Makhubo died in hospital last month following COVID-19 complications.
Inside Politics understands that the other two candidates nominated for the position of Joburg mayor included Mpho Moerane and Salfina Mulaudzi.
There were also some throwing the names of current acting mayor Eunice Mgcina, and MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services, Loyiso Lugayeni-Masuku, into the hat.
However, both were dropped at the last moment, according to sources.
Inside Politics understands that the recommended three names were debated during a heated PEC meeting on Tuesday, with ANC chairperson and Premier David Makhura questioning the rationale behind the REC’s nomination of two male candidates, instead of two female candidates.
The PEC meeting became so heated, Ekurhuleni regional chairperson and executive mayor Mzwandile Masina was told to leave the virtual meeting for ‘unbecoming’ behaviour after causing a ruckus.
An angry Masina hit back at Makhura, saying the Joburg REC’s decision must be respected and supported.
Masina is politically aligned to COGTA MEC Lebogang Maile and ANC’s provincial head of elections in Gauteng, both of whom support the candidacy of Matongo as executive mayor.
Matongo previously worked with Maile in the provincial Department of Economic Development.
Masina and the majority of Makhura’s opponents within the provincial ANC structures want Maile to replace him as ANC Gauteng chairperson in the party’s next elective conference.
Three years ago, Maile lost the contest for the position of deputy chairperson to MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi, a close ally of Makhura.
Lesufi is also seen as a suitable candidate to ascend to the most powerful position in Gauteng – South Africa’s economic hub.
ANC Joburg spokesperson Sasa Manganye told Inside Politics that the process to elect a new mayor of Joburg was at an advanced stage.
He declined, however, to identify the names of three candidates up for the Joburg mayoral position.
“We cannot announce the names yet. We have submitted these names to the Gauteng PEC. The PEC will then recommend one name to the NEC for approval,” said Manganye.
“We hope to finalize the process to elect the mayor by end of this week. We expect the Council to elect the new mayor by early next week.”
He said the ANC Joburg region hopes that the new leadership that will lead the administration will not compromise on the service delivery to the people of Johannesburg, the financial capital of South Africa and is home to 74 percent of Corporate Headquarters.
“The REC believes in the comrades recommended, and as much as it prefers the first candidate, it is, however, believing in the collective wisdom of the three candidates,” said Manganye.
“To this end, the ANC calls on its members and the people of Johannesburg to support whichever candidate that the NEC will approve out of the three names recommended to the PEC and avoid divisive tendencies but focus on serving the people of Johannesburg.”
Matongo, who is the former ANC regional spokesperson and current MMC for Finance, enjoys support from ANC regional secretary Dada Morero, including majority of branches in the Greater Johannesburg region.
Sources say the short-term appointment of Matongo as the new mayor of Joburg will boost Morero’s campaign to become the chairperson of ANC Greater Johannesburg in the coming months.
The position of regional chairperson was left vacant following the demise of Makhubo.
While the ANC never lost control of Gauteng nationally, the party lost control of key metros in the 2016 municipal elections, including the City of Johannesburg and the City of Tshwane, pointing to waning support in the province.
Buoyed by recent by-elections in which the party successfully reclaimed ward 7 in Johannesburg from the DA, the ANC hopes to increase its majority in the upcoming local government elections.