The OR Tambo district municipality has a new council speaker.
Siphokazi Njisane was elected to replace Ntandokazi Capa who, in turn, was appointed to serve as health MEC in premier Oscar Mabuyane’s cabinet after the 2024 national and provincial elections on May 29.
Capa replaced former OR Tambo mayor Nomakhosazana Meth, who has served as health MEC since 2021.
Meth was announced as minister of employment and labour by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night.
Njisane was elected at an ordinary council meeting on Thursday.
OR Tambo district municipal spokesperson Zimkhita Macingwane said Njisane had a vast knowledge of local government.
Njisane said she was excited to take up the new challenge.
“I am committed to continuing with the stability that came with the council that took over in 2021.
“I will ensure that council meetings are held in an orderly manner.
“Oversight committees will get all the support they need from the office of the speaker in order for them to execute their oversight functions optimally,” she said.
“Most importantly, as council, we will monitor the implementation of service delivery projects so that we are able to improve the lives of our people.”
Before the 2021 local government elections, the OR Tambo district council had been divided into two factions — one led by then-council speaker Xolile Nkompela and another by then-mayor Thokozile Sokanyile.
Both claimed to be the legitimate authority running the district municipality.
Sokanyile was re-elected as deputy mayor.
The infighting resulted in the district municipality operating on an unfunded budget for some time as the National Treasury withheld its budget.
Njisane served as a community development worker for a programme run by the co-operative governance and traditional affairs department.
“This allowed her to interact with members of the community and assist them through processes of intergovernmental relations where various departments would engage to respond to community needs,” Macingwane said.
She later joined the Ingquza Hill local municipality. In 2016, she served on the community services and local economic development committees.
In 2021, she served on the planning and development as well as engineering services committees in Ingquza Hill.
After the local government elections, she joined the OR Tambo district municipality as a PR councillor for the Ingquza Hill local municipality.
OR Tambo district mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana welcomed Njisane’s election, saying the executive would work together to ensure that council decisions were fully implemented.
The council would also work hard to roll out services.
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