Al Jama-ah has rejected former University of the Witwatersrand vice-chancellor Adam Habib’s public endorsement of Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chair Helen Zille for the City of Johannesburg.
AL JAMA-AH president and Deputy Minister of Social Development, Ganief Hendricks, stated that Habib “does not know what he is talking about”, arguing that the DA previously failed during two coalition administrations and should not be returned to municipal office.
The response follows remarks made by Habib on social media. He described Zille as the right candidate to rescue Johannesburg from administrative and financial distress. Rejecting Habib’s assessment, Hendricks maintained that the metro cannot afford another coalition under DA leadership.
“The DA had two chances and failed twice. Johannesburg cannot afford a third experiment. We need DDM delivery, stability, jobs, and dignity,” Hendricks said.
In an official statement, Al Hama-ah criticised the DA’s prior governing periods under former mayors Herman Mashaba and Dr Mpho Phalatse. The party claimed that these coalitions caused severe fiscal disruption, suspended key revenue collection strategies, and carried out personnel purges that damaged institutional memory.
Al Jana-ah has previously produced two executive mayors in the metro, Thapelo Amad and Kabelo Gwamanda.
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Image credit: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
