Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
AN independent candidate has been elected mayor of Mkhondo municipality after they ousted the ANC from the seat of council.
Mthokozisi Simelane has become one of the youngest mayors in the country after his election.
His election comes after the election of ANC mayor Chad Louw in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, who is 24 years old. Another young mayor Kagisho Danto Sonyoni was elected mayor of Sol Plaatjie municipality in the Northern Cape at the age of 26.
Simelane is 30 years old and was elected with the support of the EFF to take over Mkhondo municipality, which was under the control of the ANC.
Vusi Motha, the former ANC mayor, lost out the contest to Simelane.
This is the first municipality that has fallen into the hands of an independent candidate.
The ANC lost another municipality in Lekwa when the community forum snatched it from the ANC.
The ruling party has been in control of almost all the municipalities in Mpumalanga until this month’s elections where it failed to garner a majority to retain them.
Simelane’s victory marks the first time that an independent would run a municipality in the country.
In other parts of the country where the ANC has been ousted civic movements have emerged to run the municipalities.
The EFF has also been backing parties or candidates contesting against the ANC.
In Mkhondo the EFF helped in the elevation of Simelane to lead the municipality.
Mpumalanga has been the dominant ground for the ANC.
POLITICAL BUREAU