History was made in Buffalo City when the City elected its first female mayor on Friday, 17 March. Ntombentle Peter was voted in as executive mayor at the inaugural meeting of the new council following the municipal elections.

A secret ballot was held to elect the mayor and Peter beat the other two candidates, the Pan African Congress's Costa Gazi and the Democratic Alliance's Avis Rens.

In a similar secret ballot Luleka Simon was elected the City's council speaker and for the first time ever, Buffalo City has two women leading the municipality.

Congratulating Peter and Simon on their appointments, Sindisile Maclean, the previous mayor, said it came at a time when the country was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March to Pretoria.