Thapelo Amad has resigned as the mayor of Johannesburg.
At a press briefing on Monday, ANC Gauteng provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi said Amad had demonstrated selfless leadership in his term.
His resignation comes a day before he was expected to face a motion of no confidence in him at a special council meeting on Tuesday.
Amad is expected to submit his resignation letter tonight.
Lesufi said the combined coalition – which includes the ANC, Patriotic Alliance, EFF, and a group of smaller political parties, that led Joburg, would decide on a candidate to replace Amad.
READ | DA refuses to work with Patriotic Alliance in bid to oust ANC-backed Joburg Mayor Thapelo Amad
Al Jama-ah national leader Ganief Hendricks, speaking to News24 on Monday, said the party would not let the motion of no confidence, which had been brought by ActionSA against Amad, succeed, and the choice now was to “collapse the government in Joburg” and elect a new mayor.
“Al Jama-ah has sent down a top-level delegation who will engage with major political parties, and they will decide whether to collapse the municipality and a new mayor will have to be elected in a week.”
He added the party did not want the motion to “see the light of day”, and assured residents of the city of “interesting times ahead”.
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Hendricks said Amad was leaving the City with an excellent financial position and said this was in contrast to the former DA-led coalition.
“Al Jama-ah provincial chair Thapelo Amad will leave the metro with a sound financial footing and having stabilised the finances of the City of Joburg.
“From 1 May, the City will collect R4 billion to ensure service providers are paid, and we will have to wait and see who the mayor will be.
“We understand, as Al Jama-ah, that we will have to make sacrifices for the residents of Johannesburg to ensure the city remains stable. We thank the mayoral committee members who have done an excellent job,” he said.
