Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) has made changes in its mayoral committee, and introduced ANC Chris Hani regional chair Wongama Gela as the new CHDM deputy mayor in a council meeting on Friday.
In a special council meeting on Friday, Gela was elected into the newly formed position of the deputy mayor after cooperate governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa approved the position.
After the resignation of former CHDM chief whip Bongiwe van Heerden, newly sworn in councillor Madoda Papiyana was elected as the new council chief whip, replacing Van Heerden, who has since joined Enoch Mgijima local municipality as the speaker.
Introducing changes in her mayoral committee members executive mayor Kholiswa Vimbayo said former Engcobo mayor Lizeka Bonga-Tyali will replace Siyabulela Zangqa, who has resigned as engineering head.
“Thumeka Bikwana will replace Gela as municipal public accounts chair, while Nyameka Goniwe will lead the women’s caucus,” Sizani said.
Goniwe was the wife of slain Cradock anti-apartheid hero Matthew Goniwe.
Earlier on Friday, Zangqa was sworn in as the new mayor of Engcobo after the resignation of Tyali, while chief whip Skosana Mbolo took over as the department of infrastructure head from Mandilakhe Kondile.
ANC Chris Hani secretary Lusanda Sizani said: “The municipality was not supposed to have a permanent chief whip as it does not meet the requirements.Hence we took Mbolo to be the head of infrastructure, and he will also be the chief whip of council. According to law, a municipality must have 40 (councillors) in order to have a fulltime chief whip. Engcobo has 39 councillors and therefore does not qualify to have a fulltime chief whip."
Sizani said Kondile will be an ordinary councillor.​..