By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Al Jama-ah councillor Kabelo Gwamanda has been elected the new executive mayor of the country’s economic hub, City of Johannesburg.
Gwamanda beat ActionSA’s Funzi Ngobeni and DA’s Joburg leader Mpho Phalatse by 139 to 59 and 68 votes respectively.
The metropolitan municipality convened a special meeting in the City of Joburg Council Chamber on Friday to vote for a new mayor after failing to do so on earlier this week.
The council was supposed to elect a new mayor on Tuesday.
However, council speaker Colleen Makhubele adjourned the sitting to give parties an opportunity to finalise candidates.
On Thursday, the Patriotic Alliance met with the DA, Action SA, IFP, ACDP, IFP and Freedom Front Plus and put forward Kenny Kunene as a candidate,which the DA rejected.
ANC provincial chair Panyaza Lesufi said Gwamanda has been identified as a perfect candidate to take the role of Joburg’s first resident.
He said the party’s decision to field Gwamanda was solely based on the fact that the previous mayor was also an Al Jama-ah councillor.
Lesufi said the party has the support of the Patriotic Alliance and the EFF, and was confident their alliance would emerge victorious.
DA says the result confirms the destructive intent of the ANC-EFF-PA doomsday coalition to destabilise service delivery in Gauteng and loot and leech whilst residents languish.
“Today could have been a turning point for the people of Johannesburg had Phalatse won and reinvigorated the massive task of getting Johannesburg back on track. But residents of the City, and people across the country, will see in today’s results the crystallisation of the political choice facing all of us: a future of DA-led delivery or a future of ANC-EFF failure.”
In his acceptance speech, Gwamanda said he was prepared to serve the residents of Joburg, adding that his nomination was God’s will and he felt a sense of duty to take on the role.
“It is not a mere title of glamour, prestige, celebrity status that most of us like to believe,” Gwamanda said.
Gwamanda said he was born in Soweto – and he was proof that, with every generation, there was a revolution. He said a change in leadership should not lead to service delivery being affected. Gwamanda announced his mayoral committee, which is dominated by ANC, EFF and Patriotic Alliance councillors.
The committee:
- Finance: Dada Morero (ANC)
- Group Corporate and Shared Services: Loyiso Masuku (ANC)
- Environment and Infrastructure Services: Jack Sekwaila (ANC)
- Public Safety: Mgcini Tshwaku (EFF)
- Development Planning: Eunice Mgcina (ANC)
- Economic Development: Nomoya Daphney Mnisi (ANC)
- Human Settlements: Anthea Natasha Leitch (PA)
- Community Development: Lubabalo Magwentshu (ATM)
- Transport: Kenny Kunene (PA)
- Health: Ennie Makhafola (EFF)
He is the ninth mayor of Joburg since 2016. The eight to date are: Parks Tau (2016), Herman Mashaba (2016/19), Geoff Makhubo (2020/21), Mpho Moerane (2021), Jolidee Matongo (2021), Mpho Phalatse (2021/22), Dada Morero (2022) and Thapelo Amad (2023).
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of COJ.