Phalatse returns as Joburg mayor
Phalatse was up against the ANC’s Mpho Moerane for the mayoral position and won with 144 votes against 121.
Newly elected mayor of the City of Johannesburg Dr Mpho Phalatse says the time for electioneering is over.
“We need to unite all the 270 councillors behind the vision of giving residents of Johannesburg a better city to live in,” said Phalatse, adding she would like to work with all political leadership for the benefit of residents.
The new mayor was elected on November 22 following a inaugural council meeting where councillors voted for the new leadership of the city.
She was elected along her fellow DA members Vasco da Gama, who took the position of speaker of council, and Tyrell Meyers as the chief whip. Phalatse was up against the ANC’s Mpho Moerane for the mayoral position and won with 144 votes against 121.
After the win, Phalatse said, “I’m quite honoured to be the first female mayor of Johannesburg. It’s a huge honour, I don’t take it for granted.”
The DA got to govern Johannesburg even though it only obtained 26.14% of the votes in this year’s Local Government Elections because of the support from other parties such as ActionSA. While ActionSA voted with the DA for the mayoral position, party leader Herman Mashaba said they are not in coalition with the DA.
“We have done so reluctantly because of the arrogance with which the DA has ignored the wishes of all coalition partners and acted in a manner consistent with a party that did not want coalitions to work,” said Mashaba in a statement.
Mashaba’s utterances follow DA’s unwillingness to partake in a coalition with minority parties in the City to topple the ANC from power.
Ahead of the council meeting, DA’s Helen Zille had said her party would not be part of the minority coalition which will not work without the support of the EFF which would in turn rule by proxy. During Mashaba’s administration as mayor under the DA in 2016, Phalatse was the MMC for Health and Social Development.
