THE late Joburg Mayor Jolidee Matongo had not planned on being the mayor for a long time.
That was according to ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile, who visited Matongo’s family in Lenasia South, Joburg on Tuesday, 21 September after he died in a car accident at the weekend.
Mashatile said Matongo’s strength lay in his humility.
“He didn’t campaign to become mayor. He had to be persuaded,” Mashatile said.
“He said he’ll be a mayor for a short period and the organisation would have to decide about the future.”
He said Matongo leaves behind a legacy of selflessness, of caring, collective leadership, respect and commitment to his work. Mashatile described the passing of Matongo as a tragedy for the ANC in Joburg and Gauteng.
“Our hearts are broken by his sudden passing. We were pinning our hopes on him to take the city of Joburg forward.”
He said Matongo was one of the mayors who have been subjected to the ANC’s new system of interviewing their members before taking over big positions.
“We realised that he had the necessary skills of doing the job, because he was one of the mayors that were selected after he had been interviewed by officials of the ANC,” he said.
“It is the new system that we have started to check whether they have the necessary skills.”
Mashatile said they were grateful for the work Matongo did, not only as a mayor, but also as an MMC for Finance where he served under Geoffrey Makhubo, who is also late.
Scores of women from the ANC Women’s League were ferried to Lenasia South with several taxis.
They sang struggle songs and comforted for the bereaved family. The mayor died on Saturday after a car crash. He was coming from Soweto where he was alongside officials and President Cyril Ramaphosa on the ANC campaign trail.
Two more people, a pedestrian and the driver of the car who collided with the mayor’s car, succumbed to their injuries.
