MKHONDO - Mkhondo Mayor Mthokozisi Simelane was on Wednesday booted out of office through a motion of no confidence during a special council sitting.
Simelane, an independent councillor, has been the mayor since November 2021 after one faction of the ANC in the Gert Sibande region supported his rise to office.
He took the position ahead of Ngelosi Ndlovu, an ANC candidate who was supported by the other weaker faction.
The factional fight within the ANC saw Simelane staying in power for the past 13 months.
But early this month, the ANC in the region announced that his reign was to come to an end after it swept the boards during last month’s by-elections.
That became a reality on Wednesday when Simelane was ousted and Ndlovu was elected the mayor while Zweli Ngwenya was elected the speaker.
The ANC in the region alleged that Mpumalanga MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Mandla Msibi, had to convene the special sitting after the acting municipal manager, Bheki Maseko, declined to do so several times.
Maseko did not respond when asked about the special sitting by IOL.
The regional secretary of the ANC in the Gert Sibane region, Linda Masina, said they were pleased with the outcome.
“As the ANC in Gert Sibande we welcome the outcomes of the meeting. Wherein both the Speaker and mayor were ousted through a motion of no confidence.
“We wish to congratulate the newly elected Cllr Zweli Ngwenya and Cllr Ngelosi Ndlovu who were both elected unopposed as speaker of council and executive mayor respectively.
“This is evidence that proves once again, that the ANC enjoys a solid base of support among our people.
“We wish to further extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the ANC in the province, the region, Mkhondo sub-region in general and the Muzi Manyathi brigades in particular, who continued to work the ground to ensure that the ANC retains the municipality,” Masina said.
The latest changes come amid political killings in the region which includes towns like Piet Retief and Ermelo.
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