Al Jama-ah gives DA 48 hours to retract ‘lies’ about Gwamanda or face legal action

Al Jama-ah has given the Democratic Alliance (DA) 48 hours to retract the allegations it has made against City of Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda or face legal action.

This after DA published allegations that Gwamanda may have flouted the financial laws of the country, swindled and scammed members of the public.

“It is alleged that Cllr Kabelo Gwamanda, through his entity iThemba Lama Afrika, scammed innocent residents into investing in a funeral/investment scheme. However, the investors were left hanging dry when it was time to claim their benefits,” said DA Joburg caucus leader and former Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse in a statement on Saturday.

“It is for these reasons that the Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg will be bringing these allegations to the attention of the SAPS for further investigation along with a victim of this scheme.”

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The DA further gave Gwamanda 48 hours to hold a media briefing to provide “clarity” on the allegations and assure South Africans he will not interfere with the investigation into the matter.

‘Cheap politicking’

But unshaken Al Jama-ah says the DA should have gone straight to the police to report the mayor instead of sharing the allegations on social media.

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“The mayor is a law-abiding citizen and it is in this breath that we would like to provide the DA with the address to the nearest police station in Hillbrow, seeing that they have confused social media for the actual police station,” it said on Tuesday.

The party slammed the allegations against Gwamanda as “unfounded, false and a calculated attempt to manipulate and interrupt the spheres of governance from delivering quality services to residents by attacking its strategic political head in the city”.

“We are disappointed at the level at which the DA in opposition, when defeated politically, resort to cheap politicking and a failed attempt to defame the character of the newly elected mayor even before he has stepped into his office,” it said.

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It gave the DA 48 hours to retract their “lies” against Gwamanda and demanded that they issue an apology, both verbal and written.

Should the party fail to issue an apology, the mayor will instruct his legal team to approach the courts for a remedial action and sue the DA for defamation of character.

Gwamanda ‘remains focused’

“The mayor remains focused and will not be distracted nor deterred from his main responsibilities in putting his residents first to deliver an improved quality of services to the residents in the City of Johannesburg together with his coalition partners in the government of local unity.

“Gwamanda is looking forward to rolling up his sleeves from this week as he embarks on a mammoth task to focus on improving the quality of lives of the residents in the City of Johannesburg and boosting the city’s economy while ensuring that political stability is maintained.”

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Gwamanda was elected the new executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg last week.

He beat ActionSA’s Funzi Ngobeni and Democratic Alliance (DA) Joburg leader Mpho Phalatse by 139 to 59 and 68 votes respectively.