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.
The source said that the fact that this was the song for Masuku’s victory is very important.
The Adiwele movement, associated with Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile’s previous provincial leadership campaign, later “brought together everyone who did not support President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bid for a second term”.
“The alliances crystallising around this victory provide the clearest map for future contests,” said another source, adding that there was a clear alignment between the new chairperson, Masuku; the ANC Youth League president, Collen Malatji; Maile; the new Joburg ANC secretary, Sasabona Manganye; the ANC head of organising, Mdu Manana; and the ANC first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane.
Crucially, as the person clarifies: “The newly elected regional secretary, Manganye, is understood to be aligned with the Jukskei faction–the Mashatile group–while the new chairperson, Masuku, is a staunch ally of Mokonyane.”
This means the Joburg result represents a successful, if nascent, merger of the Mashatile and Mokonyane camps, with Maile emerging as a pivotal “convergence point” for both.
Sunday World understands that there is new talk about Maile becoming the provincial secretary and Panyaza Lesufi possibly coming back as the provincial chairperson.
A Maile-Lesufi ticket with the support of the Mashatile-Mokonyane machinery shown in Joburg would be very strong..
The youth league’s politics make this situation even more unstable.
A source said that Malatji’s presence at the regional conference, even though he “lives in Ekurhuleni”, was a clear sign that he was involved.
The person said that he was there because of the “upcoming youth league national congress”.
He went on to say that “a clash between him and the league secretary-general, Mntuwoxolo Ngudle, is emerging over the control of provinces and their nominations going into the ANC 2027 succession.”
The Joburg result has the most impact when you think about what will happen in 2027.
The insider gave the best analysis: “This Joburg result gives Mokonyane a strong bargaining chip before the 2027 national conference, which makes her politically relevant again.”
The analysis is clear: “The Paul Mashatile slate would have to include her, because they probably wouldn’t be able to win Johannesburg without her help.”
This is a new beginning for Mokonyane. The source ends by saying: “If she negotiates well, this position could give her power over multiple slates, putting her firmly at the negotiating table…”
In short, Mokonyane was the biggest winner at this regional conference. Conversely, the conference was a direct setback for other national aspirants.
The defeat of Morero and Lebogang Tshabalala, who the lobbyists describe as “aligned” with Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi (also aspirant ANC presidential candidate) and Ramaphosa, weakens that flank.
It also represented a “pushback against Fikile Mbalula”, whose ally Morero was viewed as having “aerial cover” from the secretary-general.
For Gauteng, the immediate question is the stability of Johannesburg itself. With a regional chairperson from one faction and a mayor from a defeated camp, the stage is set for internal conflict.
Masuku’s victory makes her “a frontrunner to become the ANC’s mayoral candidate” in 2026, but the intervening period could be tumultuous.
The events of Cedarwoods Hotel have boosted the stocks of Mokonyane and Mashatile, elevated Maile as a central power broker, and weakened the Ramaphosa-aligned group in a key province.
