Musical chairs in Jozi council

Wednesday's dramatic council sitting in Johannesburg offered no redemption for a city in crisis.

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As the rubble of coalition squabbles settled, mayor Dada Morero, of the ANC, survived a motion of no confidence. While his mediocre leadership endures, the city continues to decay beneath him.

The ANC hailed the outcome as a "resounding defeat" of a "baseless" DA-sponsored motion. In truth, it was a reminder that Joburg remains in the grip of political brinkmanship.

Morero, a mayor with few achievements and a shrinking reservoir of trust, stays on - because deals were struck and rival ambitions fell short.

The vote, 144 against and 75 in favour, with 43 abstentions, showed that many parties - including ActionSA - are still playing musical chairs with governance, hoping to not be standing when the music stops ahead of the 2026 local government elections.