Mayor Campbell ready to ‘hit the ground running’ after re-election
Tania Campbell says she is happy to return to her office after being re-elected Ekurhuleni mayor.
She faced off against African National Congress (ANC) candidate, Jongizizwe Dlabathi.
Campbell managed 124 of the 224 votes counted, while Dlabathi garnered 99 votes in his favour.
The DA-led coalition was booted out through an ANC-sponsored motion of no confidence at the end of last month. A subsequent extra-ordinary council meeting to elect the new mayor last week Wednesday failed to conclude its business of the day, leaving the metro without a mayor for another week.
Addressing the media at a press conference, the re-installed mayor said: “I would like to thank the coalition partners that voted with us. We stood strong, we had a plan, and we still have a plan, which is to serve the people of Ekurhuleni. It is a pity that two and a half weeks have been wasted when emergency plans had to be put in place for service delivery. However, we will be hitting the ground running.”
During nominations, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) put forward the name of caucus leader Nkululeko Dunga who accepted the nomination but later withdrew after the ANC named Dlabathi as their preferred candidate.
Before voting began, Dunga explained his decision.
“What we do know is that the EFF needs to constitute a government that would at least be supported by 50%. The EFF has 13.5%, it would be illogical for us to continue to assume that we can take power if there are two other candidates from the two main political opposition parties.”
In October, the EFF withheld its vote in the motion of no confidence against the mayor. The motion passed with 100 votes in favour, and 93 against the motion.
Last week’s council sitting was postponed after talks between the ANC and EFF reached a stalemate.
The red berets reportedly insisted on unshared control of the metro, while the ANC’s regional chairperson, Mzwandile Masina, says they were prepared to co-govern with parties that share the same ideology.
“On the basis of our negotiations, we felt strongly that we would accept the motion of co-governance on the basis that we didn’t have enough support as the ANC. When we tabled the proposals on the co-governance all our proposals were shot down…and we felt that as a party that is in charge of 76 wards out of 112 it would be irresponsible of us not to field our candidate,” Masina said.
Campbell says they will use the week ahead to reflect and consider some of the vacant MMC positions such as the MMC for infrastructure development.
“In the next couple of days, we will be having a re-announcement and then the swearing of the MMCs again."
Campbell is the second DA mayor of a Gauteng metro to return to office after being pushed out by the ANC. Johannesburg mayor, Mpho Phalatse, returned to her office after the courts overturned the motion of no confidence against her.
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