Note to Editors: Please find an English soundbite by Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku here
The Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg welcomes the news of the arrest of former Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda for his alleged involvement in a fraudulent funeral policy scheme. This development, while overdue, further confirms the DA’s warnings about the ANC and its coalition partners’ failure to provide ethical and transparent leadership for the people of Johannesburg.
Since his election as mayor, serious allegations of fraud and deception hung over Gwamanda’s head, allegations which the DA raised as early as May 2023. Yet, despite these warnings, the ANC chose to support him as the Mayor of Johannesburg, dismissing the concerns as mere “gossip.” This arrest not only vindicates the DA but exposes the reckless disregard the ANC, along with its coalition partners Al Jama-ah and the EFF, have shown toward the people of Johannesburg by allowing a deeply compromised individual to hold the city’s highest office and now as MMC Community Development.
Kabelo Gwamanda’s alleged scam involving funeral policies defrauded innocent residents of Soweto, leaving them in financial ruin. For years, Gwamanda avoided accountability, even leading the city as mayor while his victims were left believing he had died, a shocking betrayal of the public’s trust.
The DA calls on the ANC and its coalition partners to reflect on the damage they have caused by enabling questionable individuals to lead our great city. We further demand that the legal process be allowed to run its course without any interference, and that those affected by Gwamanda’s alleged fraud be given the justice they deserve.
The DA will also write to the Executive Mayor to request an investigation into all agreements entered into under Gwamanda’s tenure as Mayor and now as MMC Community Development, due to the seriousness of the allegations he was arrested for.
The people of Johannesburg deserve better. They deserve a mayor they can trust, not one who swindles them out of their hard-earned money