By Thapelo Molefe
The African Independent Congress (AIC) Margaret Arnolds has been elected as the new speaker of the Johannesburg City Council.
On Thursday, Arnolds secured 137 votes, decisively defeating the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Alex Christians who received 68 votes and the United Democratic Movement’s (UDM) Yongama Zigebe, who got five.
Her election follows the dramatic removal of ActionSA’s Nobuhle Mthembu last week through a motion of no confidence filed by AI Jama-ah and supported by the African National Congress (ANC), DA and Economic Freedom Fighters.
Arnolds, who has been serving as the city’s finance MMC, returns to the speaker role she held briefly in 2023. Her nomination was endorsed by the ANC and its coalition partners.
Speaking shortly before the council sitting, ANC regional coordinator Sasabona Manganye defended the decision to back Arnolds.
“We have engaged on the issue of the speaker and the candidate for the speaker and we have resolved in supporting Margaret Arnold to go back as the speaker because she’s already experienced in the position,” said Manganye.
“We do not have any time for any new person to learn how to become a speaker as you know the current term is about to end and that is why we agreed on Margaret Arnold to go back.”
Manganye dismissed any suggestion that the coalition was falling apart, saying internal differences over the speaker vote were minimal.
“Government of local unity, we do not have cracks. Of course there were a few of the minority parties that had a different view and that is why they have unfortunately and regrettably demonstrated that different view through the nomination of the UDM candidate,” he said.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said that the party would abstain from the election.
“We see no point in fielding a candidate. We cannot work with [mayor] Dada Morero and he has also shown us that he does not need us, so there is no point,” he said.
He added that ActionSA would play the role of opposition in the council instead.
Despite the earlier tension over motions against Morero and Mthembu, Manganye insisted that talks with ActionSA were still ongoing.
“We are still in discussion with them. The possibility for us to still work with them exists and even this morning they did confirm that they will support our candidate for the speaker of Council, so we are expecting that they will definitely vote with us for Margaret Arnold.”
DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, whose party voted in favour of removing Mthembu, said the DA remained committed to contesting positions of authority in council.
Arnolds is now the fifth speaker to hold the position in Johannesburg since the 2021 municipal elections.
She will resign from her MMC position.
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