- A special sitting of the Ekurhuleni council is under way to elect a new mayor following the removal of Tania Campbell.
- ANC and EFF councillors have been locked in caucus meetings, which are delaying the process of nominating a new mayor.
- The ANC's Gauteng leaders have been locked in meetings with a delegation from the EFF's national leadership over a possible partnership in the metro.
The process of electing a new mayor in the Ekurhuleni metro in Gauteng has been dominated by fierce talks over which candidate should be endorsed by the ANC and EFF regional caucuses.
The special council sitting of the Ekurhuleni metro in Germiston started on Wednesday morning.
WATCH LIVE | Ekurhuleni council to elect new mayor
The session was called for the election of a new mayor after Tania Campbell, a DA councillor, was removed in a motion of no confidence last week.
The ANC and EFF caucuses have continuously requested numerous caucus breaks since the sitting began at 10:30.
The two political parties have been negotiating for some form of partnership in the Ekurhuleni metro. No solid agreement has been reached between the two.
By midday, ANC and EFF councillors had yet to receive a solid mandate on how to vote, News24 was told.
The negotiations between the EFF and the ANC were being handled by the party's leaders.
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu and general secretary Marshall Dlamini were in attendance for the council sitting and were locked in a meeting with the ANC.
A Gauteng ANC delegation, which is negotiating on behalf of the region, is led by provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi and provincial secretary TK Nciza.
Some ANC councillors have resisted talk of voting for an EFF candidate.
Some councillors could be seen loitering in the corridors of the council chambers while waiting for orders from the ANC leadership.
The ANC, with its support from a minority bloc, doesn't need the EFF to elect a mayoral candidate successfully.
But what is at play is a majority in the council, which the EFF could provide the ANC.
To govern with a majority, a political party needs 113 votes. Neither the ANC nor the DA with its combined political party partnerships have enough numbers.
Ahead of the filing of the motion of no confidence in Campbell, the ANC regional leadership was criticised for acting without a full mandate from the Gauteng ANC provincial leadership. The motion was allowed to go ahead despite the disagreement.
The political wrangling on Wednesday, during the sitting, continued to display the tough disagreements inside the ANC on who should lead the Ekurhuleni metro.
Mzwandile Masina, a former Ekurhuleni mayor and the ANC regional leader, has been touted as a possible candidate. The name of his deputy, Jongizizwe Dhlabathi, has also been mentioned.
The DA is expected to nominate Campbell, while the EFF may nominate its own caucus leader Nkululeko Dunga.