Following the recent mayoral election in Johannesburg, political accusations are flying between the Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader, Mpho Phalatse, and the newly-elected mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda of Al Jama-ah. Phalatse has accused Gwamanda of being part of a Ponzi scheme that defrauded many people in the city. However, Al Jama-ah leader, Ganief Hendricks, has dismissed the allegations as sour grapes from Phalatse, who lost the election.
Gwamanda, an Al Jama-ah councillor, was elected mayor on Friday with support from the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) caucuses. Hendricks claims that Gwamanda passed a vetting process by the ANC before being chosen as the mayoral candidate. He also states that Al Jama-ah’s internal vetting processes did not reveal any adverse findings about Gwamanda.
The DA has promised to bring the allegations to the attention of the South African Police Service. The election result and subsequent accusations have caused controversy and tension in Johannesburg’s political scene.