Joburg to end the week with a new mayor

The City of Johannesburg is set to have a new mayor by the end of this week.

Speaker of the Joburg council, Margaret Arnolds, says an extraordinary sitting to elect the first citizen of the city will be held on Friday.

Earlier today, Al-Jama-ah’s Kabelo Gwamanda announced his resignation as the mayor of the country’s economic hub.

This followed numerous calls for him to step down from the hot seat.

He is the 7th mayor the city has seen since the 2021 local government elections.

His tenure was marked by several disasters, including the burning of the Usindiso Building, which led to the death of more than 70 people; the Bree Street explosion and the recent R200 electricity surcharge which caused an uproar.

Gwamanda says his decision to vacate the City’s hot seat follows political engagements that have taken place over the past weeks. He says it is also in line with the country’s new political landscape designed by outcomes of the 2024 polls.

“As the youngest Mayor of Johannesburg, I am humbled by the opportunity to have led this City and to have stabilised it financially and administratively following the collapse of the multi-party coalition government.”

The ANC in Johannesburg says it will be putting forward Dada Morero as its preferred candidate to lead the city.

Morero had a stint as mayor for about 25 days in 2022.

Political analyst, Goodenough Mashego, says the city needs a new mayor urgently due to the dire state it is in.

Mashego says while Morero may be the strongest candidate, he might be difficult to work with.

“When you take somebody who is that powerful in the region, it makes it difficult for party deployees to question him.”

“It is important for Joburg to have a mayor who understands what they are there to do. A mayor who is going to deliver instead of delivering to the party. A mayor that understands that Joburg needs to go back to being the New York of South Africa.”

While the outgoing mayor says he is pleased to have managed to place good governance and achieve the best audit outcomes the city has ever had, opposition parties differ in opinion on his tenure – with some saying his time in office was marred by instability and lack of service delivery.

They say his departure is a win for the residents of Johannesburg.

ActionSA, which has been at the forefront of the calls for Gwamanda’s removal, say he was not fit for the role.

The party’s caucus leader, Nobuhle Mthembu, says decisive action; a clear plan and unwavering political will are what is needed to rebuild the City.

“ActionSA looks forward to the election of a new Mayor, which we are confident will be an improvement on the objectively disastrous tenure of Gwamanda.”

BOSA’s Ayanda Allie says this is an end to instability and poor service delivery.

Allie says the first items on the new mayor’s to-do list is to scrap the R200 electricity surcharge and to update the indigent registry.

“BOSA remains cautiously optimistic about the future of the city and calls on all parties in council to apply their minds diligently and ethically as they elect a new mayor.”

Rize Mzansi’s provincial convener, Tebogo Moalusi, hopes the mayor is not replaced by another official who has “questionable history, integrity, and competence.”

“This resignation unfortunately does not solve the problem. We need an overhaul led by new leaders who are capable, dedicated, honest, and put the people of the City of Johannesburg at the centre,” adds. Moalusi