Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda resigns

Cape Town – Kabelo Gwamanda has resigned as mayor of Johannesburg.

Gwamanda submitted his resignation to Speaker Margaret Arnold on Tuesday.

His departure follows extensive negotiations by the African National Congress (ANC) to reclaim the mayoral office.

“I am pleased we managed to place good governance on course and that we achieved the best audit outcomes witnessed by the city in years,” Gwamanda said in his resignation letter. 

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Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has resigned.

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He added: “My story is one I am hopeful will continue to inspire many an African child from our city that against deprivation, isolation, social and political exclusion and with the absence of friends and peers in the corporate and media hierarchy, one can live and rise on the noble cause of changing the conditions of the poor.”

Gwamanda, from Al Jama-ah, and his colleague Thapelo Amad (who resigned earlier) were part of a minority party coalition that briefly held the mayoralty.

The resignation of Gwamanda – who held the job for less than 15 months – means the city of at least 4.8 million people will get its eighth mayor in five years when his replacement is installed.

Gwamanda had been under huge pressure to quit, with residents angry over poor delivery of services, including of water and waste collection, amid rising tariffs and deteriorating infrastructure.