Cape Town – A case of fraud has reportedly been opened at a Soweto police station against Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda.
The newly elected mayor’s future is in question after the DA called for him to account for accusations he is a scammer.
Gwamanda, an Al Jama-ah councillor, was elected last Friday.
He replaced his party counterpart Thapelo Amad, who resigned on April 24, a day before he was due to face a no-confidence vote in council.
Gwamanda was voted into power with a whopping 139 votes, while Phalatse and ActionSA’s Funzi Ngobeni received 68 and 59 votes respectively.
He received the backing of the ANC, EFF and minority parties for him to win the position.
Mere days into the position, Gwamanda was being accused of fraud.
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It was alleged Gwamanda, through his entity iThemba Lama Afrika, scammed innocent residents into investing in a funeral/investment scheme. However, the investors were left high and dry when it was time to claim their benefits.
However, Gwamanda has denied the allegations.
According to eNCA, those who laid the charge claimed they were tricked into investing with the promise of big returns.
But Gwamanda’s party Al Jamah-ah maintained that the allegations were petty politicking by the DA.
Al Jamah said Gwamanda was a competent candidate for mayor and his losing competitor, Mpho Phalatse, was on a coordinated campaign to smear the newly elected mayor’s name. Party leader Ganief Hendricks said the allegations about the mayor are frivolous, News24 reported.
“The former mayor is playing very dirty politics with the people of Joburg. The mayor [Gwamanda] has been vetted. She is just trying to create lies because she was rejected as the mayor of Joburg,” the report quoted Hendricks as saying.
According to Times Live, Hendricks said the mayor was thoroughly vetted.
“The media now wants to aid and abet the DA to push this narrative to undermine the executive mayor, to undermine Al Jama-ah and the collective. They are not going to succeed,” he said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
