Nkosindiphile Xhakaza elected new Ekurhuleni mayor after ...
Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has been sworn in as the new Ekurhuleni mayor. (Alex Patrick, News24)
A full council of the Ekurhuleni Metro has appointed Nkosindiphile Doctor Xhakaza as the new mayor.
Xhakaza, from the ANC, was nominated unopposed to replace Sivuyile Ngodwana, whose removal left the city without an executive mayor for nearly two weeks.
The Ekurhuleni council meeting to elect a new executive mayor began almost three hours late, as the ANC and EFF convened a meeting over who would get the leadership positions.
Thursday's vote was the third attempt to elect a new mayor after the African Independent Congress' (AIC) former mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana was removed in a vote of no confidence on 28 March.
According to the Municipal Structures Act, the council must elect a new mayor within seven days.
However, Speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga postponed the extraordinary council meeting last Thursday to elect a new executive mayor.
In response, Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, e-Government, Research and Development MEC Mzi Khumalo said he was not impressed with the delay on Thursday, as it appeared that the parties had not yet come to a decision.
Tshivhenga spent the morning with Khumalo. The MEC had said Cogta would not accept a postponement.
Khumalo added that had there been a stalemate vote on Thursday, a coin toss would have taken place - essentially leaving decision on who would lead the municipality up to luck.
He said this was proof that the country was not ready for coalition governments, adding that he hoped that citizens were watching what was happening in Ekurhuleni and remembered the coalition chaos when going to the polls next month.
At 12:25, ANC Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi walked into the council gallery as the ANC caucus filtered in.
Lesufi said the negotiations between the ANC and the EFF had not been easy, and had even collapsed at one stage.
In the end, however, the parties had been able to see eye to eye on the majority coalition getting the mayoral seat, he said.
