FORMER Rustenburg speaker Sheila Mabale-Huma was elected the executive mayor of Rustenburg at an inaugural council meeting on Monday.
She obtained 47 votes, Papi Rangwaga of Tsogang Civic Movement obtained 26 votes and Pieter Malan of the DA got 16 votes.
In her acceptance speech, Mabale-Huma said there was a need for the municipality to meet with residents to ensure their problems were resolved.
She added that every member of the mayoral committee (MMC) would sign a performance agreement which would be reviewed annually.
She is expected to name her mayoral committee on Friday.
She became the second woman in democratic South Africa to lead Rustenburg in the position of the mayor.
In the election of the speaker, Koketso Mogomotsi was elected with 49 votes, Sharon Letlape of the EFF received 24 votes and Laun Synders of the DA obtained 17 votes.
The election of the speaker did not go without drama. The first ballot papers were destroyed after councillors objected that they had been numbered and it was easy to detect how the voting was done.
Earlier the ANC requested a caucus before the election could proceed but, when they returned the EFF also requested a caucus.
Rustenburg is one of three hung municipalities in North West; the other two are JB Marks and Lekwa-Teemane.
The ANC won 43 seats in Rustenburg out of the 90-council seats. The party received 46.74% of the votes, failing to win an outright majority for the second time.
The ANC previously controlled the municipality through a coalition arrangement with Botho Community Movement, a community-based organisation from Boitekong which won one seat and the African Independent Congress which also won one seat.
The EFF won 17 seats, the DA 13, Tsogang Civic Movement got seven seats, Freedom Front Plus three, Forum 4 Service Delivery, the African Christian Democratic Party, United Democratic Movement, African Independent Congress, Arona, Botho Community Movement and independent candidate each won one seat in the November 1 municipal election.
IOL