Johannesburg - THE former ANC Joburg regional spokesperson and councillor Jolidee Matongo looks set to replace Geoff Makhubo as mayoral candidate for the biggest and richest metropolitan council in South Africa.
Matongo’s name was top of the list of three people submitted to the Gauteng ANC provincial executive committee meeting which met on Monday to discuss the appointment of the new mayor following the death of Makhubo due to Covid-related complications last month.
Other people on the list were Mpho Moerane, who was Mayoral Committee member for Infrastructure, and Salphina Mulaudzi, who was the chair of chairs in Makhubo’s executive.
But the final decision rests with the ANC national executive committee. The delay, however, has caused unhappiness in the DA, who are urging the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Lebogang Maile, to intervene and force the Speaker, Nonceba Molwele, to convene a council meeting which would ensure the appointment of a mayor.
The DA’s caucus leader, Leah Knott, said it has now been 25 days since the former mayor of Joburg died, and the speaker had still not responded to their demands for an urgent mayoral election “so that we can finally have political leadership during this crisis”.
Knott added: “We are now escalating the matter to the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. We have asked him to put pressure on the speaker to call for the nomination of candidates, and set a clear date for the election of the new mayor. There is the danger that should Joburg continue without a mayor for much longer, the MEC will have the grounds to put the city under administration – an outcome that no one wants.”
She said Joburg needed a mayor who could commit to delivering quality services to residents.
“There are still areas experiencing power outages – Klipfontein has been without power for more than 14 days now, while Rosettenville has been without for more than five days. City Power depots are struggling without tools or spare parts to make repairs and restore power. The asphalt plant remains closed, so JRA teams are unable to carry out any road repairs.
“I promise residents that we will stay on this issue until it is resolved, and with continued pressure. I hope that the MEC and speaker can put aside their factional battles and do the right thing. Residents must come first!” Knott said
Political Bureau