Coalition backing sees Margaret Arnolds elected Joburg council speaker

Margaret Arnolds of the African Independent Congress has been elected as the new Johannesburg council speaker.

She replaces ActionSA’s Nobuhle Mthembu, who was ousted last week in a no-confidence motion tabled by the Al Jama-ah party.

Arnolds secured the post with the backing of the governing coalition led by the ANC, EFF, IFP, PA and smaller parties.

This following her short stint as the city’s finance MMC.

She returns to the position after vacating it in August last year to accommodate ActionSA, who had previously clinched a power-sharing deal that would see them overseeing the legislature and oversight in council, leaving governing to the other partners.

Despite the rocky relationship in Johannesburg, the coalition partners have agreed the conflict will not spill over to other municipalities such as Tshwane, where ActionSA’s Nasiphi Moya leads as mayor.

The DA nominated Alex Christians for speaker, while the United Independent Movement proposed Arnolds for the post. The African Transformation Movement nominated the UDM’s Yongama Zigebe.

Arnolds received 137 votes, while Christians came in second with 68 nods and Zigebe received five votes.

This leaves a vacancy in her erstwhile position of finance MMC. Insiders say this might indicate a possible reshuffle of the mayoral committee.

She was sworn in shortly after the announcement of results.

TimesLIVE