Moloantoa Geoffrey Makhubo (8 February 1968 – 9 July 2021) was a South African politician who served as the

Mayor of Johannesburg The mayor of Johannesburg is the highest elected position in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Since 2000, they are the chief executive of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality council. On 16 August 2024, the council elected D ...

from December 2019 until his death from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in July 2021. He was a member of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

and the party's regional chair. During the administration of Parks Tau, he served as the MMC (Member of the Mayoral Committee) for Finance.

Early life and education

Makhubo was born in 1968 in

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...

in the previous

Transvaal Province The Province of Transvaal (), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's ...

. He obtained a BComm degree from the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

in 1990. He fulfilled many Advanced Management courses. Makhubo completed a Management Advancement Programme (MAP) at Wits Business School in 1997. He also earned a Leadership in Local Government certificate from the University of Cape Town. At the time of his death in 2021, he was enrolled for a master's degree at Wits University.

Politics

Makhubo was the chairperson of the

African National Congress Youth League The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (N ...

while in his youth. He served as the Johannesburg MMC for Finance under the mayoralty of Parks Tau. He also held the roles of Leader of Executive Business in Council and Chairperson of the Governance Cluster when Tau was mayor. Makhubo had served as the Co-President of the Metropolis Global Fund for Cities’ Development (FMDV). He had held senior leadership roles in the African National Congress's Greater Johannesburg Region. He was the regional treasurer before he became the regional leader in July 2018. He was appointed the caucus leader of the ANC in the city council after the resignation of Parks Tau in May 2019.

Mayoralty

On 28 November 2019, the

announced that it had nominated Makhubo for the position of mayor following the resignation of the Democratic Alliance's Herman Mashaba. He was officially elected to the office on 4 December 2019 after he received 137 out of 268 votes. The DA's Funzela Ngobeni received 101 votes, while the EFF's Musa Novela received 30 votes. Makhubo entered office under much controversy as he had been accused of gross corruption by both the

Economic Freedom Fighters The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is a South African communist and black nationalist political party. It was founded by expelled former African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema, and his allies, on 26 July 20 ...

and the Democratic Alliance following a payment of R30 million to his company from Regiments Capital, a firm implicated in the ongoing State Capture inquiries, while he served as Finance MMC. On 27 November 2020, Makhubo testified at The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture. In May 2021, Makhubo was accused of corruption related to dealings with the company EOH Group as outlined at the Zondo Commission.

Death

Makhubo died of

related complications on 9 July 2021. He had been hospitalised a week prior.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makhubo, Geoff 1968 births 2021 deaths 20th-century South African politicians Zulu people 21st-century South African politicians African National Congress politicians University of the Witwatersrand alumni People from Soweto Politicians from Gauteng Mayors of Johannesburg Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa