ANC in Joburg throws weight behind Mpho Moerane as next mayor

Moerane is expected to succeed the late Jolidee Matongo, who died in car crash two weeks back. 

ANC regional spokesperson Sasabona Mangaye says Moerane was on a list of candidates interviewed by the party’s national leadership. 

“When we lost executive mayor Makhubo, we had to engage in a process to nominate candidates who must take over from him. Out of the three candidates there has been rigorous screening processes, which will also include the interviews with the national office bearers. Out of the process of the interviews there have been three candidates.

“Number one was appointed to be the mayor and there was number two and number three. So out of the three candidates Mpho Moerane was the number two candidate after the late mayor Joli Matongo.” 

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The race for a successor come with little more than a month left to the local government elections. 

Mangaye says this is the reason why the party will not be able to revisit the same process that they initially embarked on. 

 “Given the fact that we also don’t have enough time to start the same process that we have engaged on we saw it befitting that we just revisit the same names that were nominated because we nominated the three of them with the understanding that either of them can become the executive mayor.”

Council is expected to convene on Friday, where Moerane will be elected as the new mayor.