The decision by City of Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to snub medical advice to rest has backfired badly, resulting in his health taking a turn for the worst on Wednesday, the same day ActionSA filed a motion of no confidence in his leadership.
According to a statement from the mayor’s office, Gwamanda was meant to miss out on his state of the metro address on Tuesday after being advised to do so following a medical examination.
However, he chose to go to work nonetheless, a decision that led to him leaving the debate on his address halfway on Wednesday to receive further medical attention after relapsing.
“He unfortunately went against medical advice and attended to the state of the city address as delivered. He was seen by his medical team immediately after the address yesterday,” said the mayor’s office in a statement.
“Sadly, during today’s debate, his condition deteriorated and the advice of the medical team on standby to attend to him has been that he be excused immediately and present himself to a medical facility for urgent treatment and observation.”
The mayor’s health scare coincided with the motion of no confidence by ActionSA.
According to ActionSA caucus leader Funzi Ngobeni, Gwamanda missed an opportunity to inspire confidence during his address on Tuesday, and is allegedly implicated in shady dealings.
Said Ngobeni: “Johannesburg [residents] cannot be asked to blindly place their trust in a mayor’s leadership on an R70-billion municipality when he has serious unanswered questions of fraud hanging over his head in a coalition arrangement where his strings are pulled by parties like the ANC and EFF.
“The mayor’s continued silence on these charges nearly one month later can only be construed as his wish not to incriminate himself by engaging the media and Johannesburg residents more broadly.”
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