Masuku's win deepens ANC war for Gauteng and national throne

Mokonyane was the biggest winner at the conference

- By Setumo Stone

The election of Loyiso Masuku has reconfigured the province's political terrain.

(Gallo Images)

The election of Loyiso Masuku as the ANC's Johannesburg region chairperson is far more than a local leadership change but a seismic event that has reconfigured the province's political terrain and sent powerful ripples through the national succession landscape for 2027, according to party insiders.

ANC lobbyists told Sunday World that the regional conference this week, where Masuku beat Joburg mayor Dada Morero, is a very important preview of the fights that will happen at the Gauteng provincial elective conference in March 2026 and the ANC's national conference the next year.

A senior leader who attended the conference said that the outcome was decided by "a notable demonstration of factional discipline, accompanied by money flowing across the board", with resources coming from "both the provincial and national level".

The senior leader said this shows that there was a coordinated effort that went beyond regional politics and included the Joburg contest in a larger national strategy.

Another insider said that the symbolism on display was just as telling.

They pointed out that the top five officials singing "Adiwele", a song that was turned into a "catchy, modern rallying call for younger members of the ANC who wanted to take control of the party from older, long-serving leaders" in 2022, struck a significant pose.