DA’s Ngobeni eyes Joburg mayor post
Unclear how EFF will vote in Jozi
MMC for finance in Johannesburg Funzi Ngobeni has been put up as the DA’s mayoral candidate in the city.
If successfully elected when the City of Johannesburg council convenes next week, Ngobeni would replace Herman Mashaba, who resigned last month following the election of Helen Zille as DA federal council chair.
“Funzi emerged as the party’s mayoral candidate to succeed mayor Mashaba following an internal selection process,” said DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi.
Ngobeni confirmed to SowetanLIVE last month that he was available and interested in the position.
“I will certainly be available if the party is supporting our government to continue in Joburg,” he said at the time.
Ngobeni, the DA’s Joburg regional council chair, is highly rated and will probably replace Mashaba. However, with only 38% of the votes in the 2016 local goverment election, his election will be highly dependent on other political parties, including their coalition and voting partners such as the EFF. It is not immediately clear how the EFF will vote as they have previously indicated that they would want to govern the metropolitan municipality.
EFF leader Julius Malema announced in July that the party would cease to vote with the DA in the municipalities they govern, including Tshwane and Johannesburg. This came after the DA rejected the EFF’s proposal to install a red beret mayor in Tshwane or Johannesburg.