Johannesburg's city council is preparing to appoint a deputy mayor as Dada Morero faces yet another motion of no-confidence, marking the latest episode in the chronic political instability that has paralyzed South Africa's economic capital since the African National Congress lost its outright majority.
The embattled mayor is the fourth leader to face removal since 2021, a stunning succession of mayoral casualties that has transformed the country's wealthiest municipality into a symbol of coalition governance dysfunction. The pattern reveals more than political theater—it represents the growing pains of South Africa's democratic transition from single-party dominance to multiparty competition.
The timeline of mayoral instability reads like a chronicle of institutional breakdown. Jolidee Matongo, elected in August 2021, died in a car crash just weeks later. His successor, Mpho Phalatse of the Democratic Alliance, was ousted through a no-confidence motion in January 2023 after barely 14 months in office. Kabelo Gwamanda, installed by coalition partners, was himself removed in August 2024 following a chaotic tenure marked by service delivery failures and corruption allegations.
Now Morero, who took office less than six months ago, faces the same fate—caught in the crossfire of shifting coalition alliances and party political maneuvering that prioritizes power over governance.
The Real Cost of Political Instability
Behind the political drama lies a deepening crisis for Johannesburg's residents. The constant mayoral turnover has paralyzed decision-making on critical issues: deteriorating infrastructure, irregular electricity supply, water shortages in affluent and poor neighborhoods alike, and mounting municipal debt. The city that generates over 15% of South Africa's GDP has become ungovernable.
"Every time we change mayors, strategic plans are abandoned, contracts are reviewed, senior officials are reshuffled," explained a municipal official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "By the time the new mayor understands the job, they're already facing removal."
The instability has eroded public trust in democratic institutions. Residents who once viewed local government as accessible and accountable now see it as a playground for party bosses pursuing factional interests. Service delivery protests have increased, while civic engagement in formal political processes has declined.
The crisis extends beyond administrative dysfunction. It represents a fundamental challenge to South Africa's democratic maturation: how to build functional coalition governments when political parties lack the institutional discipline and commitment to compromise that stable multiparty governance requires.
Coalition Politics Without Maturity
The African National Congress, which governed Johannesburg with comfortable majorities for two decades after apartheid ended, secured only 33.6% of the vote in the 2021 municipal elections. This forced the party into coalition arrangements with smaller parties—alliances built more on expediency than shared policy vision.
The result has been a revolving door of mayors as coalition partners trade support, extract concessions, and threaten defections. The Economic Freedom Fighters, ActionSA, the Patriotic Alliance, and others have all played kingmaker at various moments, wielding disproportionate influence despite limited electoral mandates.
This pattern mirrors challenges in other major metros—Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay—where hung councils have produced similar governance paralysis. Yet Johannesburg's economic significance makes its dysfunction particularly consequential for South Africa's overall development.
In South Africa, as across post-conflict societies, the journey from apartheid to true equality requires generations—and constant vigilance. The electricity crisis, infrastructure decay, and governance failures reflect persistent challenges three decades after liberation. Yet the very existence of competitive elections, independent media scrutinizing these failures, and civil society demanding accountability represents democratic achievements worth defending.
The question facing Johannesburg is whether political parties can develop the institutional maturity to make coalition governance work—or whether the city will continue cycling through mayors while services deteriorate and residents lose faith in democracy's ability to deliver on its promises.
