For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: Kabelo Gwamanda resigns as Johannesburg mayor; Unemployment rate worsens to 33.5% in the second quarter; And, Tanzanian police release opposition leaders after mass arrests

Kabelo Gwamanda resigns as Johannesburg mayor

Al Jama-ah’s Kabelo Gwamanda has resigned as Johannesburg mayor, in line with the political engagements that have taken place over the past weeks, according to the City of Johannesburg.

The CoJ said the decision was largely informed by the new political architecture of governance following the May national and provincial elections.

Opposition parties and civil society have been calling for Gwamanda’s resignation, citing that he is not qualified for the position.

Gwamanda, who took office in May 2023, submitted his resignation letter to the Speaker of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council Margaret Arnolds, expressing his appreciation for the opportunity given to lead the City.

The CoJ said the resignation will be effective from Friday, when Arnolds convenes an Extra-ordinary council meeting  to elect a new mayor.

Unemployment rate worsens to 33.5% in the second quarter

South Africa's unemployment rate worsened by 0.6 of a percentage point to 33.5% in the second quarter, from 32.9% in the first quarter.

The expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged work seekers, also worsened by 0.7 of a percentage point to 42.6%, Statistics South Africa reports.

Stats SA's latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows a decrease of 92 000 in the number of employed persons to 16.7-million and an increase of 158 000 in the number of unemployed persons to 8.4-million in the second quarter.

Discouraged work seekers increased by 147 000, while the number of persons who were not economically active for reasons other than discouragement decreased by 75 000 between the first and second quarters of this year.

This led to an increase in the number of not economically active persons to 16.3-million.

Those aged 15 to 24 years and 25 to 34 years continue to have the highest unemployment rates at 60.8% and 41.7%, respectively, Stats SA reports.

South Africa's rising youth unemployment rate goes against global trends. Youth unemployment worldwide reached a 15-year-low in 2023 and is likely to continue falling through 2025.

And, Tanzanian police release opposition leaders after mass arrests

Several leaders of Tanzania's main opposition party CHADEMA and hundreds of their supporters were released today after mass arrests over a banned youth meeting in the southwest of the country, police and a party spokesperson said.

Human rights organisations have criticised the arrests, with Amnesty International saying they were part of efforts to intimidate the opposition in the run-up to local government elections later this year and a national election in 2025.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has taken some steps to ease restrictions on the media and opposition since coming to power in 2021, but rights groups say arbitrary detentions have continued.

Police banned the meeting in the city of Mbeya that CHADEMA's youth wing planned to hold on Monday on the grounds that it was likely to "breach the peace".

In total more than 500 CHADEMA supporters were arrested over Sunday and Monday, as well as party Chairperson Freeman Mbowe and Vice Chairperson Tundu Lissu.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA