Fraud-accused former Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda booted from MMC position

Former City of Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has been officially removed from his role as MMC for Community Development.

The announcement was made on Saturday by the office of current Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero.

Kabelo Gwamanda fired as MMC

According to the office, Gwamanda was “relieved of all official duties” with immediate effect.

“The decision to discharge Gwamanda is effective immediately and aims to ensure that the city’s service delivery remains uninterrupted and continues to meet the needs of its residents,” a statement reads.

The former Joburg mayor has been replaced by Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) councillor Tebogo Nkonkou.

“The executive mayor expressed confidence that [councillor] Nkonkou will lead the department with the dedication and commitment to further improve the lives of the city’s residents.

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“The city remains steadfast and committed to ensuring continued delivery of quality services to the people.”

Gwamanda served as the mayor of Johannesburg from May 2023 to August 2024, succeeding fellow Al Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad.

He resigned on 13 August following pressure from both the ANC and the public regarding the city’s condition.

Three days later, Gwamanda was replaced by Dada Morero.

Former Joburg mayor arrested

Gwamanda was placed on special leave after recently being arrested on allegations of fraud.

He is accused of running a funeral policy scam through his entity, iThemba Lama Afrika, between 2011 and 2012, defrauding Soweto residents.

The issue came to public attention when former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and her party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), gave Gwamanda 48 hours to publicly address the scam allegations.

READ MORE: ‘They’re throwing him to the wolves’: Phalatse on Gwamanda’s ‘suspicious’ arrest

This prompted the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) to launch an investigation into iThemba Lama Afrika and Gwamanda.

One of Gwamanda’s alleged victims, Lefu Lebitsa, told The Citizen last month that he lost R21 000 from the funeral policy scam.

Lebitsa claimed that Gwamanda and his business partner convinced him to invest a one-time payment of R2 000, promising he would receive R20 000 by the end of 2014.