WATCH: ‘Puppet mayor’ – ActionSA to submit no-confidence motion against Thapelo Amad

ActionSA said it will submit a no-confidence motion against the executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Thapelo Amad.

This comes after Amad, in an interview with the SABC, said he had attended a meeting last week in which he secured a prospect for a R9.5 billion loan to fund “service delivery issues” and a “smart city”.

Watch: Joburg Mayor Thapelo Amad’s interview with Sakina Kamwendo on SABC.

This is really embarrassing, what is the Mayor saying ? What loan? Where & when was this discussed? Which company is giving this loan ? We cannot continue defending such stupidity @OnsBaizaNie, we must admit that we played a part in this mess, we must fix our mistake soonest. https://t.co/lnDnyM3Pu9

— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) April 10, 2023

Embarrassing

Amad’s interview was described by Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie as “embarrassing”.

“This is really embarrassing, what is the mayor saying? What loan? Where and when was this discussed? Which company is giving this loan? We cannot continue defending such stupidity, we must admit that we played a part in this mess, we must fix our mistake soonest.”

City of Joburg deserves better

Earlier, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also took a swipe at the new mayor as debate and questions continue about Amad’s competence to run the country’s largest metro.

“The City of Joburg deserves better,” Mashaba tweeted.

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Motions of no confidence

ActionSA’s Gauteng leader Funzi Ngobeni said the party feared that service delivery in Johannesburg has seen a further deterioration since the election of Amad from Al Jama-ah in January.

Ngobeni says the ANC and EFF’s coalition of doom, has time and time again proven to be woefully ill-equipped and unable to articulate a coherent plan of action and vision for the City of Johannesburg.

“ActionSA will today submit motions of no confidence in the City of Johannesburg puppet-mayor Thapelo Amad, the dishonest Speaker Colleen Makhubele and other office bearers who were all appointed through crooked dealings between the ANC’s Gauteng Provincial Chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, and the EFF.”

Service delivery

He said service delivery in the city has seemingly reached a breaking point in the city, with heaps of rubbish piling on some streets in the CBD.

“Most recently, Amad has shown his inability to understand the basics of a loan agreement in a television interview.

“While political differences may have characterised the tenure of previous mayors and speakers, it would be safe to say that residents and businesses are embarrassed by what the ANC and EFF have served up to lead the economic hub of our country,” Ngobeni said.

The party expects the motions of no confidence to be served at the next council meeting in two weeks’ time.

Clarification

Meanwhile, Amad has since clarified his remarks surrounding the R 9.5 billion loan to the city.

The City of Johannesburg said the remarks Amad were made in reference to the various discussions underway; and the “numerous unsolicited proposals that have been directed to the city from a variety of stakeholders”.

“The mention of the R9.5 billion loan facility was made as a mere example of the proposals received and not stated as a final and concluded deal of the city. It was used within the context of the interview to demonstrate a collective will by the city leadership to steer Johannesburg and the inner city around towards growth and development.”

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