By: Kaya News Reporter
Former City of Johannesburg mayoral committee member of finance, Jolidee Matongo was elected the new Mayor of Joburg on Tuesday. He takes the title unopposed after former mayor Geoff Makhubo died last month from Covid-19 related complications.
Matongo was appointed mayor after 269 councillors in the metro failed to submit names and as per the Municipal Structures Act, in the case that there was only one nominee, that person automatically assumes the position.
While he promises to hit the ground running as new mayor, many Johannesburg residents have taken to social media to voice their disappointment at his appointment.
STATEMENT:
Matongo elected new Joburg Mayor
The City of Johannesburg’s 27th Extra-Ordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday, 10 August 2021, elected Councillor (Cllr.) Jolidee Matongo, 46, unopposed, as the new Executive Mayor.#JoburgMayor#JoburgCouncil pic.twitter.com/JzKKVYqF6v— Jolidee Matongo (@matongo_jolidee) August 10, 2021
Under the hashtag #WeRejectMayorOfJHB residents voiced their outrage over the mayor’s nationality.
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According to reports Matongo’s father Edward Matongo was a Zimbabwean immigrant who moved to South Africa more than 50 years ago.
Born in 1975 in Soweto, Matongo matriculated at Orlando West High School where he joined the Soweto Students Congress and Congress of South African Students (COSAS).
He was appointed a Strategic Support Advisor in the Johannesburg Office of the MMC for Finance in 2011. This was the role that saw him become part of the Johannesburg leadership that prioritised socio-economic transformation in the city through partnerships with communities, business, academic institutions and civil society in the delivery of municipal services.
Speaking to media, Matongo said the new mayoral committee will be announced at the next cabinet sitting, which is expected to take place in two weeks after consultations with the ANC’s alliance partners in the metro, the IFP, the UDM, Cope, the African Independent Congress and Al Jama-ah.
The mayor’s focus will be on financial stability and fighting corruption.
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