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Newly appointed City of Johannesburg Mayor Jolidee Matongo has died. His death was confirmed by his shocked colleagues in the metro.
City Press has learnt that he died in a car accident after a day of campaigning for the ANC in Soweto on Saturday.
READ: New Joburg mayor Jolidee Matongo urges political parties to pull together and put residents first
Matongo (46) was sworn in as the mayor of Johannesburg a little more a month ago. He took over the position following the death of Geoff Makhubo, who died from Covid-19 complications in July.
Matongo was previously the city’s mayoral committee finance member.
Earlier in the day he had joined ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, Gauteng premier David Makhura and ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula on the campaign trail.
The Presidency released a statement late on Saturday with Ramaphosa offering his condolences to Matongo’s family, friends, colleagues and comrades, and the residents of the City of Johannesburg.
“It is hard to comprehend this tragedy, given the vitality and passion with which Mayor Matongo interacted with me and residents of Soweto so shortly before his death. Nothing could prepare any of us for this sudden loss, which has deprived our nation’s economic centre of its second Executive Mayor in two months.”
“Like all of us, he was looking forward to the forthcoming election, and we saw in person today that he had put his heart and soul into mobilising the people of the city to make their voices heard on November 1.
“The time we spent together has been rendered a priceless treasure given his untimely and traumatic passing. May his soul rest in peace.”
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