The mayoral merry-go-round in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality continued this week when former Ntabankulu mayor Tsileng Sobuthongo was sworn in as the new district mayor in a special council meeting on Tuesday.
She succeeds Nomasomi Mshuqwana, who also recently ascended to the hot seat following the resignation of previous incumbent Vukile Mhlelembana in December 2025.
District municipal spokesperson Luncedo Walaza confirmed Sobuthongo’s election.
“Councillor Sobuthongo succeeds councillor Nomasomi Mshuqwana following her resignation from office.
“In line with its legislative mandate, the council acted swiftly to fill the vacancy to ensure the continued functionality of the executive and the uninterrupted delivery of essential services to the residents of the Alfred Nzo district.”
He said Sobuthongo brought a wealth of administrative and political experience to the position.
Her career in public service included serving as Ntabankulu mayor from 2018 until recently.
She was also the speaker at the Alfred Nzo municipality between 2016 and 2018.
“Prior to her political leadership roles, she served as the corporate services manager for the Alfred Nzo Development Agency and held several strategic positions in the Ntabankulu Local Municipality including integrated development planning/intergovernmental relations manager and municipal performance.”
Hailing from Tlali village in Ntabankulu, she is studying for a master’s in public management at the Durban University of Technology.
She also holds a BTech in public administration from the same institution, a national diploma in public management from Nelson Mandela University and an NQF Level 5 certificate in integrated development planning.
Accepting her new position, Sobuthongo committed to hastening the district municipality’s service delivery agenda.
She said the provision of quality potable water was one of her priorities.
She praised several of her predecessors, including Mhlelembana, current council speaker and former mayor Sixolile Mehlomakhulu, Mshuqwana and Eunice Diko for their roles in bringing stability to the district and promoting a culture of co-operation among stakeholders.
Walaza confirmed Mshuqwana had been appointed as Alfred Nzo’s new deputy mayor.
Sobuthongo, the current regional ANC chair in the Alfred Nzo district, beat Mhlelembana in a bruising regional elective conference in 2025.
It was reported that in his resignation letter, addressed to ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi, Mhlelembana had said: “I have arrived at this conclusion after considering current developments in our region and at our municipality.
“The negative interventions around recruitment processes and the general state of maintaining sound labour relations, together with resultant consequence management processes, compelled me to arrive at this decision.
“I am convinced that stepping down from the position of the executive mayor will enable a smooth transition towards the council due to be elected in the 2026 local government elections.
“I believe this will further stabilise municipal governance, a situation needed in all municipalities led by the ANC.”
Walaza did not explain what had prompted Mshuqwana’s sudden resignation as the district mayor after a very short reign.
After Tuesday’s council meeting, the district municipality also announced a series of new appointments to strengthen municipal governance.
These included naming Makhosandile Mpetshwa as the new council whip, Kabelo Sephuhle as infrastructure planning and municipal services committee chair, and Banele Qwayede as the new chair of the economic development and planning committee.
Diko now chairs community development services, former Umzimvubu mayor Sobanem Mnukwa is budget and treasury chair, Nomvuyo Msokana is corporate services chair and Mshuqwana will chair monitoring and evaluation.
Nophatheka Ndabeni is special programmes unit and communications chair and Mpumelelo Khuzwayo now chairs sport, arts, culture, heritage and libraries.
Walaza confirmed the council had decided to extend the contract of acting CFO Sakhiwo Nelani for a further three months or until a permanent CFO was appointed.
Nelani took over the position in November 2025.
ANC regional secretary Polelo Mohale welcomed Sobuthongo’s appointment.
He said she was not only a young, vibrant and energetic leader, but also brought with her loads of local government experience.
While the party constantly assessed challenges facing different areas, new challenges had again emerged which necessitated “us to assess the capabilities of our comrades and choose a comrade who can help deal with them”.
Daily Dispatch
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