Recalling the mayor of Lekwa is a step in the right direction in preventing further protests in the Mpumalanga municipality, the Democratic Alliance said on Thursday.

"Lekwa municipality in Standerton has been plagued with unrest for the past month, with protesters calling for all councillors in the municipality to resign due to fraud, maladministration and corruption," member of the provincial legislature Anthony Benadie said in a statement.

"The DA has been calling for this municipality to be placed under administration for months and earlier action from the ANC could have avoided the weeks of protest and destruction experienced in Standerton."

On Wednesday the mayor, the mayoral committee, the speaker and the chief whip were fired.

Now that the motive behind the protests has been dealt with, Lekwa and Standerton residents should discontinue protests and allow the return of political stability, Benadie said.

The ruling African National Congress decided that the municipality will be put under administration by the Mpumalanga provincial government for a year to address allegations of fraud, corruption and mismanagement.