JOHANNESBURG, Aug 13, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The mayor of South Africa's powerhouse city Johannesburg stepped down Tuesday after months of political wrangling and anger about the dilapidated state of the vast African economic hub.

The resignation of Kabelo Gwamanda -- who held the job for less than 15 months -- means the city of at least 4.8 million people will get its eighth mayor in five years when his replacement is installed.

Gwamanda had been under huge pressure to quit, with residents angry over poor delivery of services, including of water and waste collection, amid rising tariffs and deteriorating infrastructure.

Demanding the mayor's dismissal, the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) complained last month of a "virtual collapse of services in terms of road maintenance, cleanliness and the provision of affordable housing".

The city said in a statement it will meet on Friday to elect a new mayor.
Media reports have tipped senior African National Congress (ANC) official Dada Morero -- who was briefly mayor in 2022 -- to replace Gwamanda, from the small Al Jama-ah Muslim party.

The ANC governs the city with coalition partners, having lost control in 2016. It had been in charge of Johannesburg since the advent of democracy in 1994 when it won the country's first all-race elections.