Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg has expressed concerns about the city’s stability following the resignation of mayor Kabelo Gwamanda.
Gwamanda, from the Al Jama-ah party, resigned on Tuesday after negotiations between the African National Congress (ANC) and other parties.
“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.”
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.
According to EWN, DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku criticised the frequent changes in mayors, which she said had a negative impact on service delivery.
“Service delivery has not been up to standard; it has been collapsing. This merry-go-round of mayors is a challenge for us, because we don’t know whoever becomes mayor. Is that mayor going to be there until 2026 or we’re going to have another mayor stepping down in a few months?,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku wondered, according to the report.
The ANC has proposed Dada Morero as the new mayor, and the party in Gauteng has welcomed Gwamanda’s resignation.
Meanwhile, the outgoing mayor told SABC on Tuesday that his resignation was due to discussions with the African National Congress (ANC) and not due to pressure from opposition parties.
“My resignation is informed by nothing outside the conversation that was had with the ANC. The same way the conversation was heard to say, be mayor, just that there is now a party that is failing to get numbers, and it is using this,” said Gwamanda.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
