Newly elected mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Sivuyile Ngodwane of the African Independent Congress (AIC), has vowed to accelerate service delivery and help bring unity and stability in the troubled metro.
Ngodwane was elected by 129 councillors against the ousted mayor Tania Campbell who received 75 votes on Thursday night.
This comes after Campbell was voted out in a motion of no confidence with 126 councillors voting for and 91 voting against her removal.
The motion was tabled by members of the smaller parties in council, known as the Super Seven which includes IRASA, African Independent Congress, PAC, COPE, UDM, ATM and Independent Citizens Movement.
In the motion of no confidence, the parties argued that Campbell lacked leadership and developmental governance.
They argued that during her tenure she failed to implement long-term plans to improve services in the metro. After his election, Ngodwana said he will prioritise service delivery, especially in the black communities.
“I am committed to work with all the councillors to bring stability and accelerate service delivery in the metro.
“We will not only serve the communities but serve better. We can only achieve this through an effective government,” he said.
The new mayor added that the next step is to appoint MMCs who are fit for the task and are ready to deliver services for the residents of Ekurhuleni.
Speaking after the election, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said he is happy that the three key metro in the province have elected new leaders.
“This will help bring stability in the province and we will start delivering services to the residents.
“We are also happy that the newly elected mayors are prepared to work with the provincial government,” he added.
Lesufi rubbished claims that the elected mayors from minority parties are puppets.
“We don’t have puppets but executive mayors who are elected democratically. The mayors, through a coalition, will work together to deliver services,” he added.
