An extraordinary council meeting will be convened on Tuesday to elect a new Executive Mayor for Johannesburg.
Former executive mayor Thapelo Ahmad resigned ahead of a council meeting where he was facing a no-confidence motion.
The coalition partners that voted Amad into power have vowed to protect the Speaker of the Council and the chief whip.
They say the coalition remains intact and strong in spite of the resignation and unhappiness expressed by Patriotic Alliance president Gayton Mackenzie.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has voiced confidence in Dr Mpho Phalatse to retake the reigns as the Mayor of Johannesburg. Phalatse was ousted through a motion of no confidence in January, and replaced with Al Jama-ah politician, Thapelo Amad.
The DA’s Provincial Chairperson Fred Nel says, “Phalatse has been a contentious candidate before and we believe that she has shown, through her reign during her mayoralty, that she can bring stability to JHB and she has the experience to do so. Therefore, we feel Mpho is our best candidate in order to replace any other mayor in JHB. The city needs stability and a strong mayor who can bring that stability.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie, who had once raised his hand for the now-vacant position, said he would concentrate on campaigning for next year’s national elections.
Mackenzie said last month in response to a Tweet from Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane, who questioned his decision to enter the race, “I am not in the race for Joburg Mayor anymore. Usually, I wouldn’t mind such a comment, but it coming from a Pastor makes me feel sorry for the people that you share the Word of God with. You are basically saying that the Blood of Christ has no power to change my life, it lost its power.”
