New mayor, the Democratic Alliance’s, Herman Mashaba, was sworn in on 22 August, but the City of Johannesburg’s previous mayor and speaker will still hold positions as councillors.
This according to Dr Liela Groenewald, senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Along with Mashaba, the new speaker, Vasco da Gama and chief whip, Dr Kevin Wax, both from the DA, were also elected and sworn in on the same day.
Groenewald explained that the mayor and speaker of the previous term stood as proportional representation (PR) councillors in the 2016 municipal elections.
The previous chief whip, according to new speaker Vasco de Gama, has retired.
“The previous mayor and speaker will both sit on the opposition in council,” he said.
A PR councillor is chosen based on the number of votes a political party gets in an election.
As for other positions such as managers, directors and heads of department “if it appears that it was a political appointment, the new council may reconsider their employment,” Groenewald said.
Most of the administrative positions at the City will likely not become vacant after the new mayor is sworn in.
But Da Gama said the new administration would review CVs and if needed, place people in other positions that is more suited to their skills.
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