News24.com | Joburg Mayor Thapelo Amad expected to resign

• Johannesburg Mayor Thapelo Amad is facing a motion of no confidence in him just months after his election. 
• He is expected to resign ahead of the motion which will be debated in council on Tuesday. 
• Al Jama-ah says Amad will leave the City in a "good financial position".

Al Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad is expected to resign as mayor of Johannesburg on Monday. 

Amad's resignation is expected to take place a day before a motion of no confidence vote is set to be debated at a council meeting on Tuesday. 

ActionSA had successfully applied for a motion of no confidence in Amad, which was set to be supported by a majority of councillors. 

He was elected in January with the help of the ANC and EFF.

Amad is part of a small grouping of political parties that have coalesced with the ANC and EFF to form majority governments in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. 

He seemed safe in his position until a few weeks ago when the Patriotic Alliance, which played a role in his election, indicated it would support his removal. 

The ANC and its coalition partners have been in discussions on a replacement candidate for Amad ahead of Tuesday's council sitting. 

READ | DA refuses to work with Patriotic Alliance in bid to oust ANC-backed Joburg Mayor Thapelo Amad

Al Jama-ah national leader Ganief Hendricks, speaking to News24 on Monday, said the party could not let the motion of no confidence succeed, and the choice now was to "collapse the government in Joburg" and elect a new mayor. 

"Al Jama-ah has sent down a top-level delegation who will engage with major political parties, and they will decide whether to collapse the municipality and a new mayor will have to be elected in a week."

He added the party did not want the motion to "see the light of day", and assured residents of the city of "interesting times ahead".

Hendricks said Amad was leaving the City with an excellent financial position and said this was in contrast to the former DA-led coalition. 

"Al Jama-ah provincial chair Thapelo Amad will leave the metro with a sound financial footing and having stabilised the finances of the City of Joburg.

"From 1 May, the City will collect R4 billion to ensure service providers are paid, and we will have to wait and see who the mayor will be. 

"We understand, as Al Jama-ah, that we will have to make sacrifices for the residents of Johannesburg to ensure the city remains stable. We thank the mayoral committee members who have done an excellent job," he said.

It is unclear who the ANC and EFF will settle on who would replace Amad, but the ANC was expected to give details of its position on Monday evening.