The inside scoop: DA members win council’s top three positions
JOBURG – Members of the DA are elected at the City's top three council positions
The City of Johannesburg inaugural meeting lasted the whole day on 22 August at the Johannesburg City Hall.
The new speaker, chief whip and the mayor – all Democratic Alliance (DA) councillors – were sworn in.
The inaugural meeting was disrupted several times, causing the meeting to last until late the evening. Initially, the City’s Emergency Management Services picketed outside the venue calling for better working conditions.
The DA’s Vasco Da Gama was elected as the new council’s speaker with 145 votes defeating the ANC’s Constance Bapela who received 126 votes.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said the results showed that the people of Johannesburg trust the DA and the party will work hard to ensure that their problems are addressed. “We are going to bring real change for the people of this City,” he said. He explained that the City’s residents voted for change that would be effective.
The shocking news of the death of ANC councillor Nonhlahla Mthembu soon after she was sworn in, prompted the councillors to vote concurrently for the positions of chief whip and mayor.
ANC councillor Jeffrey Makhubo announced that Mthembu, who collapsed earlier, had passed away. All the political parties sent their condolences to her family and to the ANC but chose to continue with the proceedings. The ANC in Johannesburg later sent a statement indicating that Mthembu was a long-standing member of the party. “She had devoted her life to serving her community,” read the statement.
The DA’s Herman Mashaba triumphed with 144 votes while Parks Tau trailed behind with 125 votes for the position of the mayor. DA’s Patrick Wax acquired 146 votes defeating the ANC’s Solomon Mogase who only acquired 123 votes for the chief whip post.
The Council meeting was graced with national leaders from both the DA and EFF including Congress of the People (Cope) leader Mosioua Lekota.
The EFF national spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, explained that their support for the DA was to communicate a psychological message that voting for them does not mean that they were part of the DA.
“The DA has a long way to go. They still have to deal with white supremacy. They need to address the issues of the poor people,” he said.
Related articles:
BREAKING NEWS: Mashaba elected as City mayor
Randburg Sun:
For free breaking and community news, visit Johannesburg North West’s websites:
Keep updated on breaking news in your area. Like Randburg Sun’s page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
