By Stephen Phiri<\/p>\n
Jolidee Matongo, a son of a Zimbabwean immigrant, \u201cwas elected (mayor of Johannesburg) after receiving more than 260 council votes on Tuesday [10 August 2021] and remained uncontested, a rare occurrence in the city\u201d, according to Sowetan Live. He is replacing Geoff Makhubo, who succumbed to Covid-19.<\/p>\n
Despite this overwhelming acknowledgement based on his \u201ctested\u201d abilities, there was growing social media buzz (\u201c#WeRejectMayorOfJHB\u201d) that seems unhappy that the mayor\u2019s late father was a Zimbabwean.<\/p>\n
In a signed letter, the ANC described this campaign as a \u201csocial media malicious Afro-phobia\u2026 led by faceless people and therefore does not represent the people of Johannesburg\u201d. According to The Star \u201c[some] opposition party [members] in the council had gone as far as approaching Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Lebogang Maile to ask him to force the council to choose a new mayor\u201d.<\/p>\n
These growing sentiments prompted City of Johannesburg Speaker Nonceba Molwele to remark that \u201cthe metro\u2019s new mayor [Jolidee Matongo] is not a foreigner\u201d. Hence, it seems, the crisis of citizenship is beginning to raise its ugly head again. Most of these social media posts seem to confuse citizenship as being an inherited entity.<\/p>\n