Written by 
It is all too common for politicians accused of corruption or wrongdoing to position themselves publicly as victims of some elaborate systemic discrimination based on race.
Kabelo Gwamanda, the former Joburg mayor who has been charged with fraud, is no different. He is accused of running an illegal funeral scheme which scammed investors of their money around 2012. Thereafter he allegedly went AWOL until some of his victims saw him on TV when he was elected mayor.
At the weekend, following news of his arrest, he posted a video in which he claimed to be a victim of a system that seemingly targets black people. It is unavoidable, Gwamanda claimed, to not be arrested if you are black.
As many have pointed out, not only was this claim baseless nonsense, it is the go-to racial defence for those who want to avoid accountability.
Yesterday, Gwamanda, who is a member of the mayoral committee (MMC), was put on special leave by mayor Dada Morero, following growing calls for action against him.
On Monday Morero expressed his hope Gwamanda would voluntarily step aside, pointing to his reluctance to act decisively on the matter. The mayor will appoint an acting MMC to ensure service delivery is not hampered, insiders told our sister publication TimesLive yesterday.
This decision to place him on special leave, rather than to remove him from his executive, is bizarre. Legally, the mayor has the power to remove Gwamanda at his discretion.
Politically, Al Jama-ah’s three seats are not essential for the ANC to form a coalition government in the Joburg council. Furthermore, a decision to remove Gwamanda would not be confirming his guilt but protecting the integrity of the municipality from perceptions that it is led by compromised individuals.
Therefore, the ANC’s half-hearted approach to dealing with the Gwamanda matter is troublesome, even when the history, relationship of the parties over the years and their formation of the government of national unity is considered.
If anything, it suggests that not only was the ANC complicit in enabling Gwamanda to amass undue power, it refuses to fully acknowledge that he is a compromised individual who has no business holding executive office.
The question we must ask is why?
SowetanLIVE