Nkosindiphile Xhakaza is the new City of Ekurhuleni mayor

African National Congress (ANC) councillor Nkosindiphile Doctor Xhakaza has been elected as the City of Ekurhuleni mayor.

Xhakaza was elected on Thursday, 11 April.

CITY OF EKURHULENI HAS A NEW MAYOR

Council convened on Thursday to elect a new mayor after the African Independent Congress’s Sovuyile Ngodwana was ousted in an ActionSA-sponsored no-confidence motion.

Failure to elect a new mayor prompted Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA)  Mzi Khumalo to issue a stern warning to the council.

Khumalo gave the council seven days to elect a new mayor and warned that failure to do so would result in the municipality being placed under administration.

After the 2021 Local Government Elections, the City of Ekurhuleni has been governed through a coalition. Four mayors have run the metro since then.

The Democratic Alliance’s Tania Campbell was elected twice to lead the council. She was ousted and reinstated. She also survived no-confidence motions before she was eventually ousted.

On Thursday, Dr Nkosindiphile Xhakaza accepted the nomination, and he was elected unopposed after a three-hour delay.

Xhakaza is a member of the ANC’s regional task team in Ekurhuleni. He previously served as the MMC for Finance under former mayor Mzwandile Masina.

He is the first ANC mayor in the City of Ekurhuleni after Masina’s term ended in 2021.

EFF AND ANC RELATIONSHIP IN GAUTENG HANGING BY A THREAD?

EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga previously warned that should their relationship with the ANC turn sour, this could have a domino effect in other municipalities as well where the two parties govern.

These include the City of Johannesburg, Mogale City and the West Rand district municipality.

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