Photo: Twitter / @matongo_jolidee
Malema, Maimane admonish xenophobia directed at Matongo
Mmusi Maimane and Julius Malema both defended the new Joburg mayor, Jolidee Matongo, against the xenophobic comments directed towards him.
Photo: Twitter / @matongo_jolidee
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) CIC, Julius Malema, and One SA Movement leader, Mmusi Maimane, are some of the prominent politicians that have admonished the xenophobic remarks directed towards the City of Johannesburg’s new Executive Mayor, Jolidee Matongo, on social media.
MALEMA, MAIMANE SAY NO TO XENOPHOBIA
Matongo was elected unopposed as Joburg’s new Executive Mayor at a council meeting on Tuesday, 10 August, replacing Geoff Makhubo who died of COVID-19 recently. In his acceptance speech, Matongo mentioned that he is the son of a Zimbabwean migrant.
“I, Jolidee Matongo, the son of the late Edward Matongo, a migrant from Zimbabwe, do hereby accept the nomination for the position of Executive Mayor of our city,” said the politician. Following, the announcement, social media was flooded with xenophobic comments directed at the new mayor.
The City of Johannesburg made it clear that the 46-year-old was born in Soweto and raised in Johannesburg, in response to people who were questioning his nationality.
“We grew up with Jolideee Matongo in the [Youth League], and today, we are canvassed to reject him because his father was Zimbabwean,” said Malema, who of course was a member of the ANC himself, once.
“I’m sorry, don’t count me in your nonsense. Politically we disagree, but he remains a black brother of mine #NoToXenophobia,” said the EFF leader.
Mmusi Maimane said Matongo is a Soweto-born South African and that xenophobia should not be entertained.
“You can engage people on their ideas, on their track record of delivery as leaders, on their political choices,” said Maimane. “But xenophobia, that’s not acceptable. Not today or any other day.”
MATONGO VICTIM OF A ‘PAID CAMPAIGN’, SAYS ANC
The African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg said the xenophobic rhetoric directed at Matongo is the result of a campaign meant to tarnish his name, backed by “strong financial backers,” according to IOL.
Many of the hateful messages on Twitter were organised under the hashtag “#WeRejectMayorof JHB”.
“This hashtag generally led by faceless people and therefore does not represent the people of Johannesburg,” said ANC regional secretary, Dada Morero.
“Based on our investigation, these are politically aligned paid-up tweets to purport aspersions on the executive mayor through propaganda that seeks to mislead society and characterise the executive mayor as a foreigner in his motherland.”
