Johannesburg – The mayor of Johannesburg has resigned, a leading representative of the city’s governing coalition said on Monday.
The departure of Thapelo Amad, of Al Jama-ah, comes after months of wrangling and a day before he was due to face a no-confidence vote, according to reports.
Panyaza Lesufi, regional chairperson of the ANC in the province which propped up Amad’s administration, told journalists the coalition behind Amad “accepted the resignation letter of our executive mayor” after “lengthy deliberation”.
Amad was voted in by the city council in January to replace former mayor Mpho Phalatse, a member of the DA.
The ANC had long tried to oust a coalition led by the DA’s Phalatse. But having fallen short of an outright majority at the 2021 city elections, it needed support from smaller parties.
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The election of Amad, a political outsider, came as a surprise to many – with his rivals calling him a “clueless placeholder”.
His coalition partners described his appointment as a “transitional” solution.
Fractious coalitions and short-lived mayors have been a staple of local government in South Africa in recent years owing to the country’s increasingly divided politics.
The ANC first lost control of Johannesburg in 2016, having run the city since 1994.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@CityofJoburg
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