Herman Mashaba together with former DA leader Mmusi Maimane address the media at a press conference at the Johannesburg city council, 21 October 2019. Herman Mashaba announced his resignation, effective on November 27. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark.
The appointment of Geoff Makhubo as Joburg mayor is the most bizarre appointment next to that of Jacob Zuma as the former president of the country, said former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba to Tony Ndoro during an eNCA interview on Tuesday.
Mashaba expressed shock at Makhubo’s appointment as his replacement and said the ANC had apparently overlooked corruption allegations against Makhubo.
“I could not believe that they had no one else to put in charge.”
Mashaba said that in 2007 the ANC overlooked the fact that Zuma was “facing cases of every crime in the world” and elected him as their leader, which led to Zuma becoming president in 2009.
“Now, the second movie is unfolding,” with the ANC opting for Makhubo as mayor and Mashaba said he questioned the ANC’s decisions.
Makhubo has fielded accusations that he benefited from conflicts of interests and corruption. He has denied the allegations, even though Mashaba laid charges against him, claiming Makhubo had pocketed around R30 million.
Questions around Makhubo’s past remain, despite the ANC’s support.
The EFF has made it clear that Makhubo was the reason for their breakdown in negotiations with the ANC before the mayoral vote.
“We are not going to support the government of Geoff Makhubo because he is not trustworthy and that is why we told the ANC representatives it can be anyone else but not Makhubo. He was helping with Regiments Capital, which is part of the Gupta criminal syndicate.”
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