JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — The African National Congress (ANC) has officially reprimanded Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero over a viral altercation with a community member, as ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa kickstarted the party’s election campaign in Soweto. The disciplinary action follows a widely circulated video clip showing Mayor Morero losing his temper and using foul language […]
JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — The African National Congress (ANC) has officially reprimanded Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero over a viral altercation with a community member, as ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa kickstarted the party’s election campaign in Soweto.
The disciplinary action follows a widely circulated video clip showing Mayor Morero losing his temper and using foul language against a resident in Pasong, Soweto, after being called a criminal. According to President Ramaphosa, the party’s national leadership scolded the mayor, stating that the utterances were completely unacceptable and brought the ANC into disrepute.
Ramaphosa noted that Morero has since issued a public apology, which the ANC has formally acknowledged. The President emphasized that the party’s response was not merely damage control, pointing out that community members at the engagement did not raise the incident. Instead, residents expressed a desire for councilors to work effectively and execute the ANC’s manifesto and election processes for candidates submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
While addressing the campaign kickoff, Ramaphosa also touched on local service delivery, specifically acknowledging ongoing electricity challenges in Tshepisong. He outlined strict guidelines for the party’s electoral candidates, confirming that individuals with criminal records or those who have not obtained the required level of education will be firmly excluded from the candidate list.
The ANC president clarified that the party’s mayoral and councilor candidates will not be announced imminently. He stressed that the ANC will not be dictated by the actions or timelines of other political organizations. “We are not a copycat organization,” Ramaphosa stated, affirming the party’s commitment to originality in its electoral processes and noting that there is no debate regarding the enforcement of their candidate guidelines.
Shifting to international affairs, Ramaphosa used his platform as head of state to send condolences to Nepal following devastating and catastrophic floods. He described witnessing homes being washed away on television and confirmed that the South African embassy is actively identifying and seeking to assist South Africans caught in the disastrous flooding, which has claimed numerous lives.
South Africa stands ready to provide further assistance to the government and people of Nepal, the President added. Following the Soweto engagement, Ramaphosa is scheduled to spend the next two days campaigning across Johannesburg and 20 other municipalities.
