The City of Johannesburg will be electing its third mayor in three years.
The city’s council is sitting for a special meeting on Tuesday to elect a new executive mayor following the resignation of Al Jama-ah’s Thapelo Amad from the position last week.
The two main coalitions in the Johannesburg council, led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC), are in disarray ahead of the vote.
The DA announced its caucus leader Mpho Phalatse as its mayoral candidate, much to the frustration of its coalition partners.
ActionSA national chairperson Micheal Beaumont said the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) would be supporting the party’s councilor Funzi Ngobeni for mayor.
These parties have similarly expressed disappointment that the Democratic Alliance has acted unilaterally by announcing Mpho Phalatse as their mayoral candidate without consulting any of the parties instrumental in her election in November 2021, Beaumont said.
The ANC camp is also undecided on whether to go with another candidate from a more minor party following Amad’s unsuccessful reign.
