ADM inaugurates mayor
Nxawa puts district’s water crisis at the top of her agenda
AMATHOLE district municipality now has a fresh council under newly inaugurated executive mayor Nomfusi Winnie Nxawa.
Nxawa, who is part of the ANC Women’s League leadership that formed the league in Kimberley, is also one of the longest-serving ANC councillors in the Raymond Mhlaba local municipality.
Yesterday she promised to ensure that basic services were delivered in the region.
“I believe we have enough resources to at the very least find innovative ways to curb the water crisis in the region,” she said in her inaugural speech.
“I believe my first challenge will be to source funding and get the correct advice on how to manage the consequences of drought in the region.”
Yesterday’s event had a full complement of opposition parties, including an Economic Freedom Fighters’s entourage.
The EFF has one seat in the 56member council.
Nceba Ndikinda was elected speaker, while Ngqushwa’s mayor, Solomzi Ndwayana, was elected chief whip and former Mbashe mayor Nonceba Mfecane as the MPAC chairperson.
In Mthatha, an experienced team of former mayors and council speakers are to be sworn in as the new political leaders of the O R Tambo district municipality today.
Nomakhosazana Meth will be sworn in for a second term as mayor and the district council’s former speaker, Robert Nogumla, will become her deputy.
Former Mhlontlo municipality speaker Xolile Nkompela will take over from Nogumla as speaker while former Nyandeni mayor Thokozile Sokhanyile will be entrusted with cracking the whip in council.
Former King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality mayor Nonkoliso Ngqongwa, who has been credited with stabilising the troubled local council in her two terms, will now head up the district budget and treasury portfolio committee.
The former Ingquza Hill municipality speaker, Dumisani Mjokovana, has now been tasked with leading the human settlements portfolio committee.
The former Ingquza Hill mayor, William Ngozi, will retain his position as head of water and sanitation, while former Mhlontlo mayor Mandisa Giyose will be named in Meth’s mayoral committee.
Eastern Cape ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane confirmed the deployments yesterday, saying the governing party had faith in Meth’s team.
While the combined experience of Meth’s team is expected to result in improved service delivery for the almost 1.4 million residents, their egos are likely to clash if there is no political maturity, political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni cautioned.
He said said people who were used to being leaders could at times find it difficult to follow someone else’s lead.
“If there’s political maturity, all that experience will be positive for the district but if there’s no political maturity, it can count as a negative,” he said.