Two former mayors, two posters: Al Jama-ah’s Joburg pick sparks party tensions

Social media posters showing different Al Jama-ah mayoral hopefuls have raised questions about leadership and direction in the party ahead of the local government elections. The differing images one featuring Kabelo Gwamanda and another Thapelo Amad prompted calls to the party for clarification.

Party leader: no final pick, posters part of campaign

According to The Citizen, party leader Ganief Hendricks said the party had not chosen its mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg and described the circulating posters as part of the party’s campaign approach. He told The Citizen:

“They have the freedom to project their mayoral experience to win the wards they are contesting as ward councillors. For the record, they remain our top two candidates, and we are not concerned about their campaign messaging to win the wards.”

Where things stand on announced candidates

According to The Citizen, the party earlier announced businesswoman Shireen Ebrahim as its mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg in a media release. Party insiders told The Citizen that Ebrahim has now pulled out as the party’s duly announced mayoral candidate.

Gwamanda and Amad respond

According to The Citizen, Kabelo Gwamanda said he was aware of the poster depicting him as the party’s mayoral candidate and described himself as

“one of the runners-up who are considered to lead the upcoming local government elections.”

He told The Citizen he remains interested in leading the metro and said his campaign focuses on restoring functional government and rebuilding public trust.

According to The Citizen, Thapelo Amad told the paper he did not generate the poster that depicts him as a mayoral candidate and said the poster is

AI-generated

. Amad said he is focused on building his party rather than seeking positions.

Tensions inside the party

According to The Citizen, a source inside Al Jama-ah told the paper there has been tension between Amad and Gwamanda and accused them of “fighting for positions” and “destroying the party.” The source also said both had been given chances to be mayors but “failed to perform,” and referenced “the gun allegations that Thapelo faces.”

What to watch

• Whether Al Jama-ah formally names a single mayoral candidate before the elections.
• How the party addresses internal tensions between prominent members.
• The role campaign materials and AI-generated content play in shaping perceptions of candidacy.

All claims in this article are attributed to The Citizen.