Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma was re-elected as the executive mayor of the Govan Mbeki Municipality, while Ms Fikile Magagamela is the new municipal speaker.
They were elected after all councillors were sworn in by the magistrate.
This transpired at the first council meeting held at the Lillian Ngoyi Centre on Tuesday, November 22.
This council meeting was held to determine the future of the municipality because it is one of several hung municipalities in the country after the local government elections on November 1.
The ANC obtained less than 50% of the votes.
The last day for hung municipalities to form coalition governments was on November 23. The ANC in
Mpumalanga decided not to form a coalition government in Govan Mbeki Municipality but used their seats to elect a mayor and a speaker.
Councillors from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Azanian Residents Party (ARP) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) participated in all nomination processes while Democratic Alliance (DA) abstained.
The ANC nominated Mr Zuma while the EFF nominated Mr Thabiso Mofokeng for the mayoral position.
ANC councillor, Mr Jabu Zwane, asked the speaker what the rules say about a person who wants to nominate himself or herself for council positions.
Through the assistance of the acting municipal manager, the speaker said the relevant person must be nominated by the nominee for him to compete for the position.
The ARP then nominated Mr Zwane for the mayoral position but he later withdrew his name from nominees.
The Independent Electoral Commission handled the voting process.
Mr Zuma won by 25 votes against Mr Mofokeng who got 17 votes.
DA councillor, Ms Ciska Jordaan was elected as the municipal public account committee chairperson.
Govan Mbeki Municipality changed mayors three times in the previous five-year term and Mr Zuma was first elected as mayor after the resignation of Ms Thandi Ngxonono in October last year.
Ms Ngxonono took the reign of mayorship from Ms Flora Maboa-Boltman, who also resigned after serving for only two years.
Ms Maboa-Boltman was elected to the mayor’s position after the 2016 local government elections.
The ANC in the Gert Sibande Region said at the time that it was following a decision of the provincial executive committee to do re-deployment in the Govan Mbeki Municipality when they replaced her with Ms Ngxonono.
Both women during their mayoral tenure were faced with many unrests that led to the burning of municipal property, including fleet vehicles and offices at eMbalenhle where residents demanded that electricity supply be handed over to Eskom because of unending load-shedding.
Ms Ngxonono returned as the MMC for planning and development though she was implicated in section 106 forensic investigation report.
