Read more
The previous speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, was booted out in a no-confidence motion last month.
Johannesburg City Council meeting at the Connie Bapela House in Braamfontein. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
Margaret Arnolds has been re-elected as Speaker of Council in Johannesburg.
She replaces Nobuhle Mthembu, who was booted out in a no-confidence motion last week.
Arnolds was nominated alongside Yongama Zigebe from the UDM and Alex Christians of the DA.
Arnolds elected as Joburg’s Speaker
Arnolds received 137 votes, while Christians received 68 votes, and Zigebe received five.
The announcement of her election was greeted with cheers and songs, as she hugged councillors around her.
Arnolds was serving as the MMC for finance before Thursday’s decision, and she resigned from that position immediately to take up her new role. Her replacement will be announced by Mayor Dada Morero.
This is not the first time that Arnolds has occupied the position.
She was elected Speaker in 2023 after Colleen Makhubele was removed from the position by her former party, Congress of the People (Cope).
Her party, the African Independent Congress (AIC), is a member of the government of local unity (GLU) which is led by the ANC.
Arnolds has received criticism from parties such as ActionSA, which have described her as not being fit for purpose.
The election of the new Speaker happened in the absence of Morero. His party told Council that he is out of the country.
Water crisis takes centre stage
Some councillors in the meeting expressed concern about wasting time in council while communities struggled with the water supply after widespread maintenance.
“Please, can we proceed? There are councillors seated here, and in their communities, they do not have access to water. We need to attend to other urgent matters,” said the ANC’s Tefo Raphadu.
Another ANC councillor, Sihle Nguse, complained about a water tanker parked at the council chambers.
“Surprisingly, we have a water tanker that is just stationed in our council chambers, where there is no threat to life. We are making an appeal to these councillors and executives collectively to make an executive decision to release the truck that is stationed at council chambers; it must go and serve our people,” he said.
Acting Joburg city manager Kiba Kekana soon after announced that each affected ward in the city will be assigned two extra water tankers while restoration work continues.
NOW READ: Big change in Joburg leadership expected on Thursday
