South Africa: Herman Mashaba Resigns from Johannesburg Mayorship, Democratic Alliance

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane, left; new DA Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille, centre; and Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba.
21 October 2019

Cape Town — Herman Mashaba will no longer serve as mayor of Johannesburg after resigning as a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), IOL reports. Speaking at a press conference, Mashaba said: "It is not in my nature to wait for people to push me, I have lived my life on my terms. It is for this reason that I have called this press conference today to announce my resignation from the Democratic Alliance effective 27 November 2019."

DA leader Mmusi Maimane accepted Mashaba's resignation and said that the pair remain friends.  "We joined politics because fundamentally we could bring change. I respect Herman Mashaba's decision," Maimane said. Mashaba's resignation comes as Helen Zille returns to the party as its Federal Council Chair.

A statement from the African National Congress (ANC) said Mashaba was "running away" and that he made the decision based on the "financial crisis" he put Johannesburg in. "Mashaba is running away from the soon to be exposed truth that the City of Johannesburg is broke and may not be able to finance the day to day basic costs of providing water and electricity to Johannesburg residents including paying salaries to staff,"  the ANC's statement read.

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