RUSTENBURG – Drama unfolded at the inaugural meeting of the Rustenburg City Council in North West on Monday, when three councillors were nominated for the position of the Speaker, and political parties requested to caucus one after another.
The ANC nominated Koketso Mogomotsi, the DA Laun Snyders and the EFF Sharon Letlape.
Before the election could start, the ANC requested five minutes to caucus, which was granted, the EFF also requested a five-minute caucus when the ANC returned.
Ofentse Kombe, of the Botho Community Movement, requested that the voting stations should be moved to the podium to ensure that their votes were indeed secret. He stated that media cameras in the city hall would impact on their secret votes.
Municipal manager Victor Makona explained that cameras would not be near the voting booths.
Rustenburg is one of three hung municipalities in North West, the ANC won 43 seats 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 the Botho Community Movement, a community-based organisation from Boitekong which won one seat, and the African Independent Congress also won one seat.
It was not immediately known on Monday which parties would vote with the ANC.
The EFF had won 17 seats, the DA 13, the Tsogang Civic Movement seven, 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 candidates each won one seat in the November 1 municipal elections.
The ANC said in a statement that former Rustenburg Speaker Sheila Mabale Huma was the party’s mayoral candidate for Rustenburg.
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