New Speaker of Joburg Nobuhle Mthembu. | Sipho Jack
ActionSA Nobuhle Mthembu has been elected the Speaker of City of Johannesburg Council.
Mthembu was contesting the position with DA’s Nonhlanhla Sifumba.
She beat Sifumba with 180 votes while DA candidates got 68 votes in the city council chamber in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
Mthembu replaces African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor Margaret Arnolds, who resigned last week with effective immediately, after she was sworn in as the MMC for Finance under the newly elected mayor Dada Morero.
Arnolds, who served as speaker for the past nine months, expressed deep gratitude to the Government of Local Unity ‘for entrusting her with the responsibility to lead council during such a critical period’.
Upon the election of Mthembu, DA Caucus Leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku expressed her concern over Joburg’s future, saying that the relationship between the executive that presided over the city’s decline and their new coalition partner, ActionSA, has been cemented.
“We are deeply concerned about the future of the city, as the coalition partners who form part of the governing coalition are unable to speak from one mouth on issues directly impacting residents of the city.
“On the one hand, the executive mayor says not to expect much from his tenure, whilst on the other, new coalition partners are promising dramatic change on the horizon.
“We do not believe that dramatic change will be possible, as the same people who presided over the city’s decay, cannot possibly be expected to rescue it,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
She further urged the ANC, ActionSA, EFF, and Al Jama-Ah coalition to chart a clear course for the City of Johannesburg.
“Johannesburg deserves, at the very least, a clear mandate of what it can expect from its new executive. The newly elected Speaker has a mammoth task ahead of her, one that will be filled with challenges and continued learning. Despite the differences we have in the Council chamber, we wish a successful term for the new Speaker.”
While, delivering her acceptance speech, Mthembu said her election marked an era which would focus on restoring the city to its former glory, where service delivery would take centre stage.
She further said this was an era that would instil a culture of accountability and transparency.
“We are in rebuilding mode, and the residents of Johannesburg simply cannot be expected to wait any longer for the effective delivery of frontline services — from reliable electricity and water to functional traffic lights, refuse removal, and pothole repairs.
“I have made it clear that rejuvenating the inner city and getting Johannesburg back on track as a hub of investment and opportunity will be a central focus.
“It cannot be business as usual. Therefore, I am committed to pursuing every effort to ensure that this Council puts in the hard work needed to deliver a city that functions for its residents,” Mthembu said.
Mthembu assured Johannesburg residents that her office would function solely to protect and advance their interests, ensuring that the new administration represents a much-needed shift towards stabilising governance and prioritising service delivery at the top of the agenda.
“We must all recognise that the city has deteriorated over the past years, but to save it, we have one option, and that is to ACT NOW! We must be relentless in driving a sustained programme of action, backed by political will and the abandonment of patronage and wastefulness in the use of resources.
“This must be a city where lawlessness is met with swift action, where our by-laws are not merely suggestions but are strictly adhered to and enforced, and ultimately where the safety of our residents is protected.”
Mthembu concluded by promising both the residents of Johannesburg and fellow councillors that she would be a Speaker who represents all 270 councillors, adding that robust engagement would be encouraged and fostered, as well as hold each other accountable without compromise.
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