Alderman Dan Plato has been elected Executive Mayor of Cape Town, and has pledged to promote job creation and regional economic growth.

Plato beat ANC candidate Belinda Landingwe by 119 votes to 66 at a full Council meeting held on Wednesday May 13, 2009.

The 48-year-old Plato replaces Helen Zille, who has taken up the position of Premier of the Western Cape.

In his acceptance speech, the new mayor acknowledged he has big shoes to fill, after Zille won the World Mayor Award in 2008. He also said she was “simply the best”.

Plato – the former Mayoral Committee member for Housing and latterly for Service Delivery and Integration - said he was fully aware of the many challenges that lie ahead.

“Over the past seven years, the city had seen increasing service delivery to communities. We know that citizens have been waiting for too long, for too many promises, made by careless leaders.

"I am not here to make big promises, I can't keep. I intend to be honest about what we can and cannot do," he said.

The challenges include housing delivery, the tight timeframes ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the implementation of the City’s Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) system.

"Let us remember that Cape Town is one of the greatest cities on this planet, and we are privileged to be part of making it so," Plato said.

Click here to view/download the acceptance speech. (PDF)