South African President Jacob Zuma has wished former Trade and Industry deputy minister Mzwandile Masina success following his election as mayor of the Ekurhuleni metro in Gauteng.

“We wish to heartily congratulate the former Deputy Minister on his election as Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni. We also extend our words of gratitude to him for having served our country with diligence and commitment at the national executive level of our government, particularly in driving our flagship Black Industrialists Programme at the Department of Trade and Industry. We wish him all the best in his new responsibilities,” said Zuma.

Masina, who is also African National Congress (ANC) regional chairman in Ekurhuleni, was elected mayor at a council meeting on Tuesday. He received 117 votes, beating the Democratic Alliance’s (DA's) Ghaleb Cachalia who received 106 votes. The African National Congress (ANC) formed a coalition with other parties to enable it to retain the metro.

Of the three Gauteng metros, Ekurhuleni was the only one under the control of the governing party. The capital city Tshwane and Johannesburg were snatched by the DA, thanks to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) which gave the DA its vote to unseat the ANC.

Masina resigned as the deputy minister prior to his election as mayor.