• DA Joburg councillor, Emi Koekemoer, endured a suspected case of food poisoning and cast her vote to ensure that the DA won the mayoral, speaker and chief whip positions. 
• Koekemoer took ill just as the council meeting was about to start at 10:00 on Monday after having had breakfast provided by the municipality's caterers earlier in the day.
• Despite being sick, Koekemoer refused to leave the council chambers and was moved to the medical room where a drip was attached to her arm. 

Not even a case of suspected food poisoning could stop 28-year-old DA Joburg councillor Emi Koekemoer from casting her vote on Monday and contributing to the DA's clean sweep of the mayoral, speaker and chief whip positions. 

After getting 71 seats in the 270 seat metro in this month's municipal elections, there was a still a slim chance for the DA to regain the metro lost to the party in 2019 when its then mayor Herman Mashaba walked out of the party. 

The DA’s chances where further reduced when two of its 71 councillors-elect could no longer vote in Monday's elections as they had been elevated to Parliament and the provincial legislature. 

As the voting drew closer, the DA knew that it needed all 69 hands on deck and support from other smaller political party should it be able to foil the ANC's chance to retain the metro it had been in charge of. 

READ | New political era: DA reaps the rewards as opposition parties kick ANC to the curb

With all of the DA's 69 councillors ready to vote, the DA suffered another possible setback as Koekemoer suddenly took ill around 10:00 just as the council sitting was starting. 

Speaking to New24 on Tuesday, the bubbly Koekemoer said she had eaten breakfast provided by the municipality's caterers around 08:00 and two hours later she took ill. 

"I know this is graphic, but around 10 am, I just started projectile vomiting. It was continuous and since I sit towards the front of the chambers, my colleagues moved me towards the back closer to the toilets. 

"Towards the end of the day, the situation got worse and I was taken by the medical staff to the council medical room where a drip was attached to my hand as I had lost so much fluids. When the voting process started, IEC representatives had to come to the medical room from which I voted," said Koekemoer. 

She added that she suspected that it could have been a case of food poisoning, but told News24 that she was feeling perfectly fine a day after the ordeal. 

DA Joburg caucus leader Leah Knott praised Koekemoer for being resolute and pushing through the pain to ensure that her votes resulted in the DA winning the positions of  mayoral, speaker and chief whip positions.

"Shame, she [Koekemoer] refused to go home and had to sit in that council meeting for almost 14 hours in pain, but at the end of the day voted," said Knott.

In reference to Koekemoer, newly appointed Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse, said: 

Koekemoer grew up in Randburg and ran as the DA candidate for Ward 104 during the 1 November municipal elections.

This, after Mike Wood decided to step down at the end of October, after he had held office for 10 years.

Wood had endorsed Koekemoer, who grew up in North Riding and attended Laerskool Fontainebleau and Hoërskool Randburg, but spent a few years in politics in the North West.

At 22, she was inaugurated to her first term as a PR councillor in the 2016 local government elections for Matlosana municipality in the North West. 

Koekemoer was also elected as a regional student representative council deputy chair for Unisa in 2018 and she formed part of the sectoral youth parliament four years in a row.

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