WATCH: Dan Plato elected as City of Cape Town mayor
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As expected, Dan Plato is the new mayor of the City of Cape Town. Plato was elected with 146 votes mostly from the DA caucus. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency/ANA As expected, Dan Plato is the new mayor of the City of Cape Town. Plato was elected with 146 votes mostly from the DA caucus. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency/ANA
Cape Town - As expected, Dan Plato is the new mayor of the City of Cape Town. Plato was elected with 146 votes mostly from the DA caucus.
Plato previously served as Cape Town mayor between 2009 and 2011, and worked as the MEC for Community Safety before he was selected as De Lille's replacement.
Just last week, Plato was sworn in as a councillor ahead of today's election.
Opposition parties the African National Congress (ANC) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) had put forward Xolani Sotashe and Grant Haskins as mayoral candidates respectively, but Plato was elected by majority, receiving 146 votes out of 208.
DA Western Cape provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said in a statement that Plato had shown commitment to service delivery throughout his career. "The will of the people has now been reaffirmed by this vote and we will continue to deliver against our commitment that we made in 2016."
Madikizela said Plato had always been above "petty politics" and would bring stability and unity after months of bitter infighting in the DA caucus which saw De Lille and nine councillors resign last week.
He said Plato would lead the fight against gangsterism and violent crime and would also "accelerate projects which will transform the city and ensure that our city is more integrated".
He previously explained that he has an understanding of the problems that led to the division within the DA caucus and believes it will be resolved on his first day as Cape Town mayor.
He was careful not to blame De Lille for the breakdown in trust in the City's caucus. However, he thought the DA was "too compassionate" when it dealt with the De Lille saga.
As expected, Dan Plato is the new mayor of the City of Cape Town. Plato was elected with 146 votes mostly from the DA caucus. Video: Jason Felix/Cape Argus
He also intends to alleviate the plight of residents buckling under the steep tariffs the City introduced. Plato will continue with a "listening tour" throughout Cape Town to engage with residents about the issues affecting them.
A new Mayco is expected to be announced on Wednesday.
@TheCapeArgus
Cape Argus