Pressure on mayor to resign intensifies
Civil society calls weekend protest a 'warning shot' to the city should the mayor and his executive refuse to step down as current city management can no longer be allowed to continue with impunity and no accountability.
A solid foundation from which the birth of a sustained citizen-led movement which holds the city responsible for service delivery and sound financial administration has been laid.
The Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) held a demonstration protest action over the weekend demanding the mayor and his executives resign immediately. The JCA say this is due to their ‘inability to run the city which is falling apart at an alarming speed’. This followed a high-level press conference on July 25.
A memorandum of demands was received by the Speaker of Council Margaret Arnolds who said a response from the city would be shared within 14 days.
Read more: Crisis Alliance demands mayor steps down or be removed
The two demands are:
• The immediate resignation of councillor Kabelo Gwamanda as the executive mayor.
• The fundamental restructuring of the Mayoral Committee that better represents the interests of residents in the city.
The JCA, which is comprised of civil society organisations, residents’ associations and other groupings, said it would continue its noble quest to stop the rot in Jozi.
“This mass protest is a warning shot to the city,” said Tessa Dooms, the director at Rivonia Circle. She added residents needed to collectively hold the executive to account. “This is now urgent as for the last decade we hoped politicians would come and save us, but this has not led to any accountability.
“The mayor is failing but there are also historic political failures that came about due to a lack of consequence for delinquent office bearers,” she claimed.
She and others said it was no longer possible to wait until the next local government elections.
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Wayne Duvenage, the CEO of Outa concurred. “We want to send a strong message to politicians. If you are going to replace Gwamanda with an equally ill-qualified mayor, the pressure will intensify.
“This is all only possible due to a failing of basic leadership and management from the top.” He added the city was already ‘broke’, yet was taking out more loans that would impact future generations.
Rev Moss Ntlha from Defend Our Democracy said, “so many people had hoped for a better life – it is such a tragedy that the leadership presiding over the city acts with such impunity.”
Ishmael Mkhabela, a community organiser said writing to the President to ask for him to step in had been fruitless.
The alliance also condemned the mayor’s ‘contemptuous and disdainful press statement labelling Johannesburg residents who raised their concerns about the electricity surcharge as ‘stooges’.
Dooms said, “all the ward and PR councillors sitting in council have the power to choose the best person and can make rational decisions, but they have failed to do that. They must also be held accountable for sitting back while the executive breaks the city.”
Nishan Bolton, executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation said of the current mayor, “he might have been a good councillor but when managing a multimillion-rand budget he is sorely lacking.”
The JCA has also called on the business sector to be more active in holding the city accountable.
Duvenage said, “you [business] have your assets and have invested millions – why aren’t you doing all you can to ensure the investment is sound in a city that works?”
The JCA is unified in stating that they did not have a preferred replacement for Gwamanda to put forward.
In an EWN interview the mayor said, “I can without a fear of contradiction say it’s a clarion call from those that have united against a black child to send a strong message to stay in your place or suffer the consequences.”
Duvenage said, “If the mayor wants to bring the race card into this issue it is sad – but the issue is he and his committee are not fit to run the city and they must go.”
The mayor and City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane, were both contacted for comment. No comment had been received by the time of going to press.
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