Parties stand together to elect UDM's Notenja as Mpac chair

In a surprising turn of the events in the City of Johannesburg council, ActionSA, the DA and the ANC voted together to support UDM's Thandi Nontenja as the new municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) chairperson.

Receiving 222 votes, Nontenja, who beat EFF candidate Musa Novela who obtained only 35 votes, was named the new Mpac chair yesterday.

Also in another twist, multi-party coalition partners the IFP voted alongside the EFF after a 30-minute caucus the party had requested.

FF Plus councillor Franco de Lange, who earlier in the week had resigned as health and social development MMC to make way for the PA's Ashely Sauls, was also voted in as the new Section 79 finance committee chairperson.

De Lange received 140 votes out of 270 seats in council, beating his opponent Al-Jamah's Imram Moosa, who got 100 votes.

Yesterday's meeting also marked ActionSA's John Moodey and Gillian Benson's last stint in council after their resignations.

The two, who also serve as members of ActionSA's senate, handed in their resignation to council speaker Vasco da Gama a week ago.