South Africa: Newly-elected Johannesburg mayor dies

A newly-elected Johannesburg mayor, Jolidee Matongo has died in a car accident.

The mayor of Johannesburg was killed in the accident as he returned from campaigning with South Africa’s president on Saturday, just over a month after being elected, his office said in a statement.

Matongo, 46, was returning from a voter registration drive in Soweto township ahead of local elections when the accident happened.

“It is hard to comprehend this tragedy, given the vitality and passion with which Mayor Matongo interacted with me and residents of Soweto so shortly before his death,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a tweet.

“Nothing could prepare any of us for this sudden loss, which has deprived our nation’s economic centre of its second Executive Mayor in two months.”

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