Joburg mayor condemns shooting of ANC Chief Whip of Council

The mayor of Johannesburg Kabelo Gwamanda has wished the Chief Whip of Council Sthembiso Zungu a speedy recovery after surviving two gunshot wounds.

Zungu survived a gruesome shooting that left a senior Rand Water official and his bodyguard dead at a school donation event in Zakariyya Park earlier this week. He was still recovering in hospital.

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“We wish him well and we wish him a speedy recovering and I have received a report that he is recovering well, madam speaker,” Gwamanda said.

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Violent crime in Joburg a concern

Gwamanda also expressed concern at the increase in prominent cases of violence in the City of Johannesburg.

“As the City of Johannesburg I would like to give comfort to the family of Zungu. We are saddened by the incident. We condemn the level of criminality and the level of lawlessness… we are experiencing in our communities,” Gwamanda said.

Zungu was attending the school event in his capacity as an ANC councillor. It also emerged that the Rand Water official who died during the shooting was also an ANC member in the Tshwane region.

The Johannesburg Speaker of Council, Margret Arnolds, expressed concern over the safety of councillors and spoke about getting extra security for councillors, including for the mayor.

First council meeting

Wednesday was the first council meeting since the start of the year.

Gwamanda highlighted a few service delivery issues but took time to comment on floods that have affected different parts of the City of Johannesburg.

“We will roll out a campaign that will ensure that we irradiate the cause of these unnecessary floods that are affecting the households of our residents,” Gwamanda said.