ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has urged City of Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero to dismiss community development MMC Kabelo Gwamanda.
The call comes after Gwamanda’s arrest on fraud charges last Friday. He was detained at the Protea North police station, in Soweto, before being released on bail.
Gwamanda, who is Morero’s predecessor as mayor, has since been placed on special leave and the matter is to be transferred to the speaker of council.
Mashaba has insisted that there is nothing in law that stops Morero from immediately removing his Gwamandafrom his executive team.
MMCs serve at the behest of the mayor
He said ActionSA would unapologetically push Morero to remove Gwamanda and call on the ethics committee to treat the matter as urgent for his removal as councillor as well.
He said MMCs serve at the behest of the mayor, and for this reason, the party will hold the mayor accountable to ensure Gwamanda is removed as MMC.
Mashaba believes that facing fraud charges is reason enough for one to be removed from the mayoral committee.
“We call on mayor Dada Morero to expel him as an MMC with immediate effect,” Mashaba said.
“ActionSA caucus has already written to the speaker of council and the ethics committee to have him removed as a councillor.”
Gwamanda’s party Al Jama-Ah said it wanted to observe and respect the sub-judice nature of the criminal matter.
Phalatse pursued the case
The party’s spokesperson Yusuf Khan Dalwai said the matter stemmed from last year when the DA was ousted in Johannesburg and Gwamanda was nominated and elected as the executive mayor of Johannesburg.
Dalwai said former DA mayor, Mpho Phalatse, pursued a case of fraud and corruption against Gwamanda, alleging that he had a business that scammed a community of money for more than 10 years prior to his involvement in politics.
Dalwai charges that this was not only aimed at reputational damage, but it became an attempt to remove Gwamanda from office a day after his appointment as mayor.
“Although we advocate for the application and enforcement of the rule of law, we would equally appreciate a fair application of such across the board. The merits of the case [against Gwamanda] are yet to be tested before a court of law.”
