The African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) used their majority in the Ekurhuleni council to elect African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor Sivuyile Ngodwana as the new mayor.

Ngodwana bagged 129 votes, defeating Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor and former mayor, Tania Campbell, who received 75 votes. 

Campbell was removed from office hours before a motion of no confidence, sponsored by the ANC and EFF.

Both political parties, which together hold a majority in the council, described Campbell's stint as mayor as shambolic and regressive for service delivery in the city.

The removal of Campbell on Thursday came after the ANC and EFF cooperated in other hung metros in Gauteng, where they have effectively installed mayors they backed. A metro is defined as hung when no political party has an outright majority.

Campbell was always vulnerable to removal because of the DA's minority governance in the metro, and this was despite its coalition with the Freedom Front Plus, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).

In October 2022, the ANC and EFF joined forces to remove the former mayor, but because they could not agree on who should lead, the EFF helped vote Campbell back in office to spite the ANC. 

The ANC needed the EFF's council seat numbers to win back some control in Ekurhuleni after the party received fewer seats in the council, following the 2021 municipal elections.

In a compromise, first tested in Johannesburg, the EFF and ANC have backed smaller political party candidates for election as mayor.

As in Joburg, the two political parties will likely see some members elected to mayoral committee roles in a power-sharing move in Ekurhuleni.

Ngodwana is the only member of the AIC in the Ekurhuleni council, making his election as mayor a surprise. 

ANC and EFF councillors rejoiced in celebration once Ngodwana was elected.

The ANC also rejoiced at the removal of the DA from executive power in Ekurhuleni, describing the party's governance as "an unholy coalition". 

It said Ngodwana's election would see parties in the council "work together in ensuring effective service delivery to residents", ANC Ekurhuleni regional chairperson Moipone Mhlongo said. 

Meanwhile, the DA labelled Campbell's removal as something that marked the return of the ANC into power with the help of the EFF. 

The party's deputy Gauteng chairperson, Fred Nel, said Campbell had ushered in a turnaround strategy to "undo the ANC's failures and decades of neglect". 

Nel said the DA multi-party coalition had delivered essential services, such as water and electricity. 

"Seventy kilometres of Ekurhuleni roads were rehabilitated, and over 5 000 square metres of potholes were filled, and the pothole backlog was significantly reduced. The government also implemented a fiscal framework to avoid a collapse of the City's finances," Nel said on Thursday.

EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said the new government in Ekurhuleni would be a people-centred and corruption-free one.