Africa-Press – South-Africa. The ANC will support another Al Jama-ah candidate to become the mayor of Johannesburg.
This, as the current mayor, also from Al Jama-ah, Thapelo Amad faces a motion of no confidence.
Last week, ActionSA announced that it would table a motion of no confidence on Amad following his interview with SABC, where he disclosed that a private company had proposed a loan of R9.5 billion to improve the City.
News24 understands that the ANC, which along with the PA and the EFF played a central role in electing Amad as mayor in January, will field another Al Jamah-Ah councillor Kabelo Gwamanda as mayor should Amad be unseated through the motion.
On Tuesday, ActionSA said it is seeking legal advice after the ANC and the EFF failed to attend a scheduled council programming committee meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the motion. The meeting has now been moved to Friday.
News24 understands that as part of the ongoing negotiations to replace Amad, the ANC first considered its councillor Eunice Mgcina as a mayoral candidate. Mgcina currently serves as the MMC development planning in the City of Johannesburg.
She told News24 that she heard her name was being considered, but said internal party discussions regarding Joburg were ongoing. However, the party later settled on Gwamanda.
Meanwhile, the Patriotic Alliance’s Gayton McKenzie will now prioritise removing Amad, and is even willing to work with the DA despite their stance on refusing to support his candidacy.
In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday, McKenzie cited that the DA did not support his stance on illegal immigration, influencing him to withdraw from his candidacy.
“The DA fears my stance on illegal immigration; hence I decided I must rather withdraw to make sure the motion passes to remove the mayor. I may have withdrawn my candidacy, but the PA will still support the motion to remove the current mayor.”
The PA, which appears to have dumped its coalition partner, the ANC, declared on 11 April that it would support the motion of no confidence to remove Amad. McKenzie also put his hand up to lead the City.
In his tweets, McKenzie said the PA had met with ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba on Tuesday and is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss a potential coalition.
The DA and its alliance partners in the Johannesburg council, ACDP, Freedom Front Plus, and the IFP, were expected to also hold a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss a coalition partnership for Joburg.
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