ActionSA backs ANC bid to remove Gwamanda as Joburg Mayor

Gwamanda

Cape Town — ActionSA has been vocal about its effort to remove Al Jama-ah’s Kabelo Gwamanda from his position as Johannesburg Mayor, citing the poor state of the city.

ActionSA’s senate recently met to discuss the matters arising during its 2024 national and provincial elections, including the poor conditions of the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni municipalities, a statement said.

The party feels that Gwamanda’s tenure has been an “unmitigated failure” and the evidence has pointed to the downfall of Johannesburg.

“ActionSA has contemplated the fact that it holds a significant number of seats in Johannesburg, and we have come to the conclusion that the Party cannot sit on its hands anymore as the City continues its downward spiral to the detriment of Joburg residents,” party leader, Herman Mashaba, said.

ActionSA will adopt the role of constructive opposition, as it has done in parliament, and will offer support to any government in Johannesburg.

It will take up several positions in the legislature to hold the government accountable.

The party placed three key conditions to support the new government in Joburg, which include the removal of Kabelo Gwamanda as Mayor, the reversal of the R200 electricity surcharge fee for Prepaid Users, and producing a series of motions to position the city to turnaround key service delivery issues such as infrastructure and rejuvenating the city.

Mashaba said that it is not a coalition arrangement and ActionSA will not co-govern, not sign a coalition agreement. The party will only support the new May on the consideration of the merits of the matter.

He said that this decision represents an important learning from the general elections on 29 May and the party can no longer position itself in the complexities of coalitions by ruling out base-level arrangements.

“It is necessary to affirm that ActionSA’s position as it relates to the grand coalition remains unchanged as a constructive opposition and, if anything, this position in Johannesburg represents an extension of the national position into local government with the ability to exercise effective oversight,” Mashaba concluded.


In response to ActionSA’s claims, Al Jama-ah leader, Ganief Hendricks, said the party’s move to get rid of Gwamanada is “personal and unreasonable”, EWN reported.

Despite ActionSA’s agreement to work alongside the ANC on an issue-by-issue basis, the party will not enter into a coalition, the report said.

Gwamanda, who has been Johannesburg’s mayor since May 2023, was elected following strong support from the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Now, the ANC has emerged as one of the leading parties, with ActionSA, to remove Gwamanda from his position.

Hendricks believes there are no reasonable grounds to remove Gwamanda and said Action SA’s call for removal is motivated by political point-scoring rather than Gwamanda’s performances.

“I can understand why they don’t want Gwamanda because they don’t want to be pursued. They committed crimes against the State,” he said.

While ActionSA believes Gwamanda has done nothing to improve the City of Johannesburg, Hendricks said his party would accept any decision made by the ANC.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Picture: X/@KabeloGwamanda

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Matthew Petersen

Article written by