Delays, last-minute horse-trading in Joburg mayoral battle
Gauteng cooperative governance MEC Mzi Khumalo has outlined the laws to be followed if council fails to elect a new mayor by the end of Tuesday.
Joburg is yet again without a mayor following the resignation of Thapelo Amad - sparking a fierce race for the mayoral position among shaky coalitions.
“We’ll always be guided by what the law says. Council has 14 days general elections to elect is office bearers and we are using that 14-day period as a guiding fact in this regard. The municipality has 14 days to elect the mayor.
“The law further says if after 14 days, they will then be given seven days to do that. However we are confident that they will resolve those issues today. I am more confident there will be a mayor in this municipality by the end of this council.
Jacaranda FM news has been reliably informed that the name Kabelo Gwamanda, from the same party as Thapelo Amad - Al Jama ah, is the favourite among the ANC/EFF coalition partnership to take over the reins.
WATCH: Gauteng cooperative governance MEC Mzi Khumalo on no confidence motions. Khumalo’s still hopeful a new #CityOfJoburg mayor will be elected today. Proceedings have been delayed after the ANC & EFF were granted caucus breaks as coalition partners’ horse trading continues pic.twitter.com/7Ir5oFzXUk
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) May 2, 2023
Khumalo has warned against placing the party ahead of service delivery at local government.
“Underpinning this kind of coalitions should be issues that relate to service delivery. I think we must put a threshold on what issues that we need to agree upon and use those as a benchmark and use those issues when we evaluate whether that person has been able to implement those issues or not rather than mere political interest.”
Coalition partnerships come into the election of the new mayor on shaky ground after Action SA ditched the DA-led coalition to field their own candidate Funzi Ngobeni, while the DA itself is hoping ousted Mpho Phalatse will be lucky and return as mayor for a third time.
Meanwhile, it’s been reported the ANC was divided with some saying Dada Morero must come back.
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