None of the ANC's 3 Joburg mayor picks has a council seat. Here's why

None of the three people the ANC shortlisted for Johannesburg mayor has a seat on the new council, so none of them can be elected mayor when it sits. Outgoing mayor Dada Morero and deputy mayor Loyiso Masuku lost out because the ANC won no party-list seats in the city, and Frank Chikane was never on the list (EWN; Business Day).

It matters because the ANC's national executive committee (NEC) is meeting this week and is expected to discuss announcing its mayoral candidates countrywide. "We are now at that crunch moment," ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu told EWN.

Why don't Morero, Masuku and Chikane have seats?

A mayor has to be a member of the council first. Councils elect the mayor from among their own councillors (Business Day).

The ANC won 63 of Johannesburg's 135 wards but got no proportional representation (PR) seats. Its 20.3% share of the vote is worth fewer seats than the wards it won, so under the "excessive seats" rule in the Municipal Structures Act it keeps the wards and gets nothing from its list (Business Day; Rateweb, IEC results). Reported explained that rule in more detail here.

Sources: Business Day, 13 November; Business Day, 20 October; EWN

EWN reported that losing their seats "brings both their mayoral bids to an end" for Morero and Masuku (EWN).

What does the new Joburg council look like?

Source: Rateweb, using IEC results files. The council has 270 seats, so 136 are needed for a majority.

The DA is the largest party and no party has a majority, so the mayor will come out of coalition talks.

Is there any way back for them?

Only roundabout ones, and none is in place.

The ANC's Johannesburg regional secretary, Sasabona Manganye, said in October that Chikane could be added to the party's list after the first council meeting if national leaders chose him (Business Day). But adding a name to the list doesn't create a PR seat, a Business Day columnist pointed out this week. The route left would be for a sitting ANC ward councillor to resign and for one of the three to win the by-election that follows (Business Day).

The Mail & Guardian reported that the ANC is considering asking the SACP and other parties to give up PR seats so one of its mayoral candidates could get into council. The SACP won two PR seats in Joburg. SACP acting spokesperson Mhlekwa Nxumalo told the paper that swapping councillors would not form part of its negotiations: "We are not going to enter any negotiations regarding those changes" (Mail & Guardian).

That leaves the ANC's 63 ward councillors as the only ANC members who can stand for mayor in Johannesburg for now.

Who did the ANC shortlist in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni?

The ANC's Tshwane shortlist included councillor Aaron Maluleka, former regional chair Kgoši Maepa, former deputy minister Chana Pilane-Majake and Tlangi Mogale, with two others. In Ekurhuleni, regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi and outgoing mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza were among four names (The Citizen).

The ANC also won no PR seats in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, so any name on those shortlists will need to have won a ward to sit on the council (Rateweb, IEC results; Reported). Reported couldn't confirm which of them won wards.

When will the ANC name its candidates?

Secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said on 4 November the party would be ready to announce "in the next two weeks after we get the results" (The Citizen). The IEC declared final results on 8 November. EWN reported that Mbalula was expected to announce the NEC's outcomes on Friday 13 November (EWN).

We'll update this article when the ANC names its candidates.