ANC councillor Jolidee Matongo has been elected unopposed as the new mayor of the City of Joburg.
Joburg, the country’s economic hub, has been without a mayor for about a month, following Geoff Makhubo’s death from COVID-19 complications.
“I am humbled to lead Africa’s eminent city as the new mayor of Joburg. The city is in good hands. I hope to put the interests of the people of Joburg – together with a new executive team that we will be appointing soon at our next meeting,” said Matongo after his election on Tuesday.
Matongo called on political parties to put aside political differences for the betterment of the very people they are elected to serve.
Matongo was the ANC’s preferred candidate for the job.
Matongo’s election as Johannesburg’s next mayor on Tuesday was endorsed by the ANC’s top officials and the coalition — called the government of local unity — that helped Makhubo to lead the metro, which includes the African Independent Congress (AIC), Al Jama-ah, COPE, the IFP, the Patriotic Alliance and the UDM.
Matongo comes in as the third mayor since the local government elections in 2016, with the city having first been led by Herman Mashaba (before he left the DA) and then by Makhubo, who passed away from Covid-19-related complications last month at the age of 53.
The ANC in the Greater Johannesburg Region nominated three names as per the ANC guidelines, and the names were submitted to the PEC.
Soweto-born Matongo, 46, started his political activism at the age of 13 at Orlando West High School, where he joined the Soweto Students Congress (SOSCO) and Congress of South African Students (COSAS).
He led both SOSCO and COSAS at the branch and zonal levels.
Matongo was a youth activist and formed part of the ANC Youth League and participated in the Orlando West branch.
He has also served as the ANC Youth League Regional Secretary and, in various capacities and was ultimately elected as the Regional Chairperson of the ANCYL in the Greater Johannesburg Region.
Matongo has since served in the ANC Joburg Regional Executive Committee to date.
He became the Regional Head of the Department of Information and Publicity and the Regional Spokesperson for the period of about eight years until he was appointed to the City of Joburg as the MMC of Finance by the late Makhubo.
- Inside Politics
