Mpho Moerane, the former mayor of Johannesburg has passed away, a week after he was involved in a car accident which landed him in hospital. Mike Maile, the family spokesperson confirmed the passing of the former mayor of Joburg.
“We confirm we lost our beloved Mpho this afternoon. His passing has saddened us,” Maile said.
The family confirmed that Moerane passed away on Wednesday at Milpark Hospital where he was admitted after the accident which happened two weeks ago. Maile said Moerane died at 17:54. Moerane was the ANC caucus leader in Johannesburg.
He held that position since the local government elections which were held 2021, and he was expected to contest for the position of regional chairperson at the ANC Johannesburg elective conference next weekend. The conference which was expected to take centre stage was postponed last week following his accident. It is not clear when the conference will take place.
Speculations were rife over the past week over his health, but the family and the ANC were denying the reports. The conference is expected to be moved to end of the month but that is yet to be confirmed by the ANC. The ruling party is having provincial and regional conferences ahead of the national elective elections which will take centre stage in December.
Moerane is the third Johannesburg mayor to pass away in the past year. He took office for a month after the death of Jolidee Matongo, who was also killed in a car accident. Matongo had replaced Geoff Makhubo, who passed away from Covid-19 related complications.
Source: Business Day, IOL, Sowetan Live, image from Sowetan Live: Gallo images
