Gwamanda blames Mashaba for City of Joburg’s challenges

Outgoing mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has blamed ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba for the City of Johannesburg’s challenges.

Mashaba was the mayor of Johannesburg between 2016 and 2019.

Gwamanda resigned as Johannesburg mayor on Tuesday after 18 months at the helm.

Watch: Kabelo Gwamanda speaking about the challenges in the City of Joburg

[WATCH]: Part 7 of 7

“As the GLU, we had understood that there's a water challenge in the City of Johannesburg and in their (my predecessors) deposit to how we can possibly mitigate (challenges) they ended up inheriting names.

This is me giving you a practical sense of the…” pic.twitter.com/aAYdk94zuX

— Exec. Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda (@KabeloGwamanda) August 14, 2024

Service delivery

The city has had a revolving door of mayors with Gwamanda, a councillor for Al Jama-ah, being the ninth mayor of the City of Joburg since the 2016 local government elections.

Gwamanda’s resignation came as a result of political reshuffling in the wake of the 29 May elections and subsequent negotiations at the national and provincial levels.

Angry and frustrated residents, along with several civil society organisations, took to the streets last month to demand that Gwamanda resign and a new mayor appointed to address the city’s downward spiral, which includes high electricity tariffs, unreliable water supply, poor service delivery, and crumbling infrastructure.

ALSO READ: Joburg mayor’s ousting is ‘immaterial’ – Outa, analysts

Is Mashaba to blame?

Gwamanda said his reign at the helm of the city was a difficult one from the onset and he started experiencing unwarranted attacks within days of being elected.

Gwamanda said during his tenure, residents experienced improved service delivery.

“The service delivery breakdowns started during the tenure of Herman Mashaba, I say this because he has always had his issues with the ANC (African National Congress (ANC)…and everything that had to do with the City of Joburg, he perceived as the ANC so much so that he terminated so many contracts in the city which brought service delivery to a complete stand still.

“There’s a difference between a mayor that is on TV talking about things that are non-existent and a mayor that is on the ground doing their best to ensure that they are able to restore certain critical areas of our service delivery,” Gwamanda said.

‘My record speaks for itself’: Mashaba responds

Mashaba told The Citizen he has “no interest in dignifying the outgoing mayor’s weak deflection attempts”.

“My record speaks for itself. I led a city that was working for its residents and, by every measure, was a model of effective governance. This is not just my opinion; it’s a verifiable fact available for anyone to scrutinise.

“That strong record will anchor ActionSA’s ongoing efforts to stabilise governance in the City. Our only mission is to get Johannesburg back on track toward good governance, effective service delivery, growth, and prosperity—all hallmarks of my successful tenure as mayor,” Mashaba said.

[WATCH]: Part 6 of 7

“They lack political strategy. They are reactionaries & have no meaningful contribution of what the City requires.

"The service delivery breakdowns started during the tenure of Herman Mashaba, I say this because he has always had his issues with the ANC…” https://t.co/h1Nl0rwdru pic.twitter.com/T5VuvNqfM8

— Exec. Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda (@KabeloGwamanda) August 14, 2024

New Joburg mayor

Meanwhile, speaker of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) council Margaret Arnolds set down Friday to elect a new mayor with ANC member and Finance MMC, Dada Morero expected to take over the mayoral chain.

ALSO READ: WATCH: No agreement yet on Gwamanda’s removal, Al Jama-ah leader says