Joburg mayor will not resign, says Al Jama-ah

Al Jama-ah president Ganief Hendricks has poured cold water on ANC claims that Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda would resign in August, adding that at least two parties in the metro’s governing council continue to back him.

“Mr Gwamanda has not been approached to resign. That’s not on the table. There are no plans,” Hendricks said on Tuesday.

His comments come after ANC Johannesburg regional secretary Sasabona Manganye on Monday told Business Day: “There is no intention to remove Gwamanda through a vote of no confidence. He will resign as mayor [in about] August. We are still in discussions with his party.” 

Gwamanda is from the Al Jama-ah party, which holds three seats in the 270-seat council. The city is governed by a coalition of parties including the ANC, EFF and the Patriotic Alliance (PA). 

Calls for Gwamanda to step down have grown recently, with opposition councillors arguing he isn’t suitably qualified to lead the country’s economic hub, which contributes almost 20% to the national GDP and about 40% to Gauteng’s economy.

Hendricks disagreed with those criticising Gwamanda, saying: “I spoke to the EFF, they are very happy with his performance. I spoke to Gayton McKenzie of the PA and he said he [Gwamanda] is doing a good job. 

“He has done a very good job in the city. You can’t expect him to clean up the mess that happened with the [previous] mayors from three other political parties. That will take 20 years to fix. He has only been in the job for [13] months, that is why I want him to stay the term.” 

Gwamanda’s election as mayor in June 2023 marked the sixth time political power had changed hands in the metro since 2021. Twelve days into his tenure as mayor last year, labour federation Cosatu called on him to step down and be replaced by a “capable mayor” as a matter of urgency with a “collective vision of advancing the city”. 

Gwamanda is the ninth mayor of Joburg since the 2016 local government elections. Past mayors are Parks Tau (2016), Herman Mashaba (2016-19), Geoff Makhubo (2020-21), Mpho Moerane (2021), Jolidee Matongo (2021), Mpho Phalatse (2021-22), Dada Morero (2022) and Thapelo Amad (2023). 

On Monday, ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont said the party had placed three conditions on its conditional support of a new government in Joburg: the removal of Gwamanda; the immediate reversal of a R200 surcharge imposed by City Power on prepaid electricity users; and that ActionSA would produce a “series of motions” aimed at turning around service delivery in Joburg, including “infrastructure renewal and rejuvenation of the inner city”. 

Beaumont said Gwamanda’s tenure had been an “unmitigated failure with the evidence of the downward spiral of Johannesburg evident all around the city”. 

Hendricks hit back, saying: “The opposition parties do not add any value; they don’t attend meetings when the mayor calls meetings. It’s important to have intergovernmental relations. The opposition parties will obviously make all these accusations because they have tried several times with their motions of no confidence. They did not succeed. They think they are the only people that can govern.” 

He commended Gwamanda for his performance as political head of SA’s largest metro, rating him 7/10 because the city “got two clean audits” under his tenure. He had also attended to the energy crisis in the metro and implemented integrated development plans that informed the budget. 

“There was applause when he tabled the state of the city address,” Hendricks said.

“I was given a mandate by the ANC supported by the EFF to take the lead in Johannesburg and I have carried out my mandate. My mandate has not been changed. I’m continuing to take the lead in Joburg to turn it into an iconic city,” he added.

Hendricks warned that a new administration would result in people losing their jobs. “We made temporary people permanent because our mayor felt that this is not Hollywood, you can’t be in an acting position for 18 months,” he said. 

Gwamanda’s removal “will cause disruptions [to service delivery] and the same people who have messed up Joburg will now be back in the saddle. I can’t understand how the residents of Johannesburg will benefit.”

mkentanel@businesslive.co.za