Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance, Loyiso Masuku, has been elected as the ANC in Johannesburg’s regional chair, replacing Dada Morero — a move that could trigger a change in the city’s mayor..
Masuku won the position over Morero, who is also the Johannesburg mayor, in a high-stakes regional elective conference that concluded on Friday, making her the first woman to lead the party in the economic hub of Gauteng.
Business Day understands that Masuku’s camp is likely to campaign for her to be elected as mayor of Johannesburg ahead of the 2026 local government election, in line with ANC tradition that the regional chair is also the mayor of the city.
That, however, would require the support of the ANC’s coalition partners in Johannesburg including the EFF, Al-Jamah, PA and the IFP.
Since the ANC lost outright control of Johannesburg in 2016, mayoral positions have swung between parties as alliances fracture and reforms stall. The emergence of new political forces, most notably former president Jacob Zuma’s MK party, has further splintered the landscape, making regional influence less predictive of who ultimately governs the city.
The voteushered in a sweeping reshuffle of the region’s full leadership:
- Regional chair: Loyiso Masuku (184) over Dada Morero (149)
- Deputy chair: Masilo Serekele (188) over Eunice Mgina (143)
- Regional secretary: Sasabona Manganye (205) over Lebogang Shabalala (128)
- Deputy secretary: Lerato Bob (187) over Mnisi Nomoya (157)
- Regional treasurer: Maxwell Nedzamba (233) over Muzi Nkosi (98)
Masuku’s election comes as the ANC in Johannesburg pushes to recast itself as the sole leader in the region ahead of the 2026 municipal polls. The task, however, is steep, according to the organisational report presented to the conference by Manganye.
According to the report, voter turnout, especially in traditional strongholds such as Soweto and the city’s “Deep South”, has dwindled since 2021, while opposition parties — notably the DA, EFF and MK party — have consolidated support in suburbs and urban wards.
“The 2024 national and provincial elections demonstrated that the ANC’s decline is structural, not episodic. Without serious intervention, Johannesburg risks becoming the epicentre of further electoral erosion by 2026.”
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