Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero on Monday expressed concerns with the recent arrest of former mayor and Community Development MMC Kabelo Gwamanda, saying the developments “deserve to be handled with a sense of urgency” to ensure that it does not impact on service delivery in the City.

Gwamanda was arrested in connection with a funeral policy scam that he allegedly ran in Soweto more than a decade ago, in which he supposedly scammed unsuspecting Soweto residents in a scheme in which they made monthly payments for funeral insurance.

Morero confirmed that he will be meeting Gwamanda on Tuesday, to “receive his counsel” and an official report.

"As we deal with this matter with the urgency it requires, we shall make use of the authority vested in us in office, including as provided for in the Code of Conduct for Councillors, to execute our responsibilities faithfully and without favour," he said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it would write to Morero to request an investigation into all agreements entered into under Gwamanda’s tenure as mayor, and now as MMC, owing to the seriousness of the allegations he was arrested for.

DA Johannesburg Caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said while the development was overdue, it confirmed the party’s warnings about the African National Congress (ANC) and its coalition partners’ “failure to provide ethical and transparent leadership” for Johannesburg residents.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said since Gwamanda's election as mayor, "serious allegations of fraud and deception" hung over his head, allegations which she said the DA raised as early as May 2023.

The party demanded that the legal process be allowed to run its course without any interference, and that those affected by Gwamanda’s alleged fraud be given the justice they deserved.