There’s a new mayor in town and it’s none other than the DA’s Mpho Phalatse.
On Monday evening, November 22, Councillor Mpho was elected the City of Johannesburg’s first female mayor during a special Council meeting. Phalatse secured 144 votes, while the ANC’s Mpho Moerane received 121 votes.
The newly elected Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg subsequently addressed everyone in attendance and expressed her gratitude with a fitting speech.
“I would firstly like to thank God; without Him none of this would have been possible. It is through His help that we have made it this far, and it is with His wisdom and guidance that we will rally all 270 councillors in the Johannesburg City Council towards rebuilding our broken city. To Him be the glory,” she started off.
Councillor Mpho explained that she had worked well with all 11 political parties when she served as the MMC for Health and Social Development from 2016 to 2019.
After expressing her thanks to her parents, children, family, friends, colleagues and the people of the city, she addressed the women of Council and of the city.
“You have a voice. And you must never ever hesitate to use it. Do not wait for something to come along. Put up your hand now and avail yourself for something,” she said.
“Just imagine what could be happening today if I had not put up my hand over a year ago and decided to be my party’s mayoral candidate. We possibly would not be having the first female Mayor of the City of Johannesburg standing before all of you here today.”
She acknowledged that it has not been a smooth path as the road was visibly riddled with potholes and, at times, it seemed completely untraversable. But, she continued, Council will now strive to put the interests of the people of this city ahead of their own.
“During the campaign, I spent many hours in every corner of Johannesburg, listening to what residents had to say and what they wanted changed. Residents were not just asking for change; they were raring for it,” Councillor Mpho said.
“That is why I intend, in the next few days, to have fuller consultative sessions with all political parties represented in Council to solicit their inputs for our Plan for the First 100 Days in office to make it as inclusive as possible. Regardless of political party, every councillor here has a responsibility to ensure this term is not characterised by instability and chaos. The City of Johannesburg barely survived the past five years, and does not deserve a repeat of that ugly episode.”
Even if this will be a DA-led coalition government, she stressed the fact that they would still warmly welcome colleagues from opposition parties to engage in the next few weeks.
Councillor Mpho said that every corner of Johannesburg needs leadership, and every councillor in attendance can be that leader. She encouraged the councillors to keep all channels of communication open throughout the next five years, regardless of which party is in government.
“Whether a resident is from Diepsloot or Norwood, Linden or South Hills, Roodepoort or Braamfontein, Melville or Morningside, Alex or Parktown, I want every resident to be proud of living in the City of Gold that will find its shine again. It is after all, the biggest metro in South Africa. That alone should make us immensely proud to call this city our home,” she said.
“From the rock bottom of my heart, a big thank you for the opportunity to serve the people of Johannesburg. I know the challenges ahead seem insurmountable. But I promise to give this mammoth responsibility my all from this day onwards. With your continued support, I know we shall neither falter nor fail. I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me. It is my undertaking that I shall never disappoint any of you.”
