- DA reclaims the City of Tshwane.
- DA councillor Randall Williams elected new mayor.
- This, after the ANC abandoned the elections, opting to abstain from proceedings.
The DA has reclaimed the City of Tshwane after councillor Randall Williams was elected the new mayor.
The IEC declared the results legitimate, free and fair.
Speaker Katlego Mathebe said the council had reached a quorum, with 111 councillors in attendance which meant it had reached the 108 needed for a quorum.
Mathebe announced that 123 councillors voted, with one spoilt vote. EFF regional chair councillor Moafrika Mabogoane received 25 votes, while Williams garnered 97.
ANC regional chair Kgosi Maepa earlier announced the ANC would not be participating in the elections, calling them a "sham". Even though the ANC opted not to participate, the council reached the quorum, which meant voting went ahead.
Coalition
Without the ANC as the strongest opposition, with 89 seats, numbers favoured the DA and its coalition partners, the FF Plus (4), ACDP and Cope.
In his acceptance speech, Williams congratulated the speaker and the IEC for running a free and fair election.
Williams assured councillors he would work hard to ensure the City delivered on its mandate to residents.
He said the decision to dissolve the Tshwane council was "disastrous", adding that it removed councillors from their constituents during Covid-19.
"What replaced them can only be described as chaos in the form of [an] unelected administration. We can never let this happen again in the capital city. It is time for political parties to put aside their differences."
He added that with the adverse effects of Covid-19, there was immense pressure to ensure council adequately responded to the needs of residents.
To ensure the City operated at its most optimal level while containing the spread of Covid-19, he said he intended to pull together a diverse group to make up the members of the mayoral committee to support him in achieving his administration's goals.