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Kenny Kunene says Gwamanda is not running away from the media

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11 months ago

June 7, 2023

Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene says Gwamanda’s not evading the media. The Johannesburg Mayor’s engagement with the media, scheduled immediately after his maiden State of the City Address on Tuesday, was unexpectedly postponed to Thursday. According to Jacaranda FM, The city intended to finalise the debate on Gwamanda’s address before briefing the media the following day.

The postponement surprised many, especially after Council Speaker Colleen Makhubele had assured on Monday that Gwamanda would engage with the media after his address. However, Johannesburg MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene defended the decision, highlighting that this was not the first instance of Gwamanda missing a media engagement in the City of Joburg.

In a previous incident, Gwamanda did not attend a press briefing where he was expected to address fraud allegations against his investment company, Ithemba Lama Afrika, which allegedly defrauded certain individuals. Despite these controversies, Gwamanda received support from Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) Loyiso Masuku, who emphasised that the mayoral committee members were authorised to communicate with the media regarding matters arising from the State of the City Address.

Also read: These Joburg streets to be affected by state of the city address

Masuku stated, “This was a comprehensive State of the City Address, to give hope to the people of Johannesburg and to outline the plans of each and every member of the mayoral committee in their respective departments.”

Despite the delay, Gwamanda will provide his media briefing on Thursday, where he is expected to address the critical issues outlined in his State of the City Address and respond to media inquiries.

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