Race for Johannesburg mayor post intensifies as Zille targets city’s budget
· Citizen
The contest for control of the City of Johannesburg is heating up, with ANC veteran Frank Chikane reportedly emerging as a leading contender for the party’s mayoral nomination, while the DA’s Helen Zille mounts a legal challenge against the metro’s financial decisions.
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Chikane is understood to be at the top of the ANC’s shortlist following internal interviews that included current Joburg mayor Dada Morero and his deputy, Loyiso Masuku.
His apparent lead comes after former ANC MP Jabu Moleketi refused to avail himself for nomination.
Farnk Chikane touted as ANC’s Joburg mayoral candidate
According to Sunday Times, Party insiders suggest Chikane is viewed as a unifing and stabilising figure amid a factional battle between Morero and Masuku.
“There was a view that this time around we need people who have stature and are not part of the problem,” a senior ANC leader told the publication, adding that Chikane’s chances of winning are high.
Although Chikane has declined to comment publicly, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula is reportedly expected to formally announce the party’s candidate on 20 July.
Meanwhile, internal dynamics within the party remain unresolved, with Morero and Masuku reportedly set to compete for the deputy mayor position.
The Johannesburg mayoral race is shaping up to be highly competitive across party lines.
The DA has put forward Zille, while ActionSA has nominated its leader, Herman Mashaba, and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) has selected Joburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene.
Within the ANC, several high-profile names were previously considered, including Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini, businesswoman Chichi Maponya, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, and veteran politician Tokyo Sexwale.
Mounting pressure over governance in City of Joburg
The leadership battle unfolds against a backdrop of growing concern over governance in Johannesburg.
In recent weeks, residents in several areas have experienced deteriorating service delivery, with rubbish piling up in the streets.
Financial management has also come under scrutiny.
This week, the National Treasury decided to withheld funding from a number of municipalities, including Joburg, citing failures in financial oversight and accountability.
According to Treasury, the intervention aims to maintain fiscal discipline and reduce staggering levels of unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
Tensions escalated after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana threatened that national support for the city might be reconsidered.
His warning came in response to a recently concluded two-year R10.3 billion wage deal between the metro and the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu).
Godongwana argued that the city simply cannot afford such a substantial increase in expenditure.
Zille challenges wage deal and budget
Zille has since taken legal action, challenging the wage agreement.
She is seeking to have the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg declare the agreement unlawful.
In a separate application, Zille is also calling for the city’s 2026/2027 budget to be reviewed and set aside, Sunday Times has reported.
In her court papers, she argues that the municipality acted inconsistently by implementing cost-cutting measures while simultaneously expanding its senior management structure.
She stated that the city’s budget included hundreds of additional senior management positions, which allegedly went up from 330 to 1025 in a one year, that were never properly authorised.
Zille argued municipalities may only create and fill jobs that are part of an official structure approved by the council.
She added that funding positions without this approval breaks the law and puts the legality of the city’s entire employee budget at risk.