PHUTI MOSOMANE
DA-led multi-party coalitions candidate, Cilliers Brink, is the new mayor of the City Tshwane after defeating COPE councillor Ofentse Moalusi with 109 against 102.
A total of 211 councillors participated in the elections on Tuesday.
This comes after Tshwane Speaker of Council, Mncedi Ndzwanana, called a special council meeting to elect the executive mayor of the City.
The meeting was duly constituted and got under way without issues, and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) presided over the election of the mayor.
The City of Tshwane contract workers, who have not been paid for more than five months, marched to the municipal offices on Monday.
The new mayor also is inheriting a municipality bedevilled by poor service delivery challenges, including financial mismanagement of the metro.
During his acceptance speech, Brink said: “We want to build a capital city that works for all of its people, one that improves the lives of the poor, and creates opportunities for all people to move up in life. We know in our hearts that this city will only be a good place for any of us to live in, if we work to make it a good place for all of us to live in.”
“A city that works, and one where no one is left behind, aren’t two separate cities. These aren’t goals at cross-purposes. These are the goals that must unite us. Only a city that works can deliver to all of its people, and only a city that delivers to all of its people can hope to be sustained over time.”
The DA’s Gauteng provincial leader, Solly Msimanga, said the party welcomed the election of Brink as the executive mayor of Tshwane. adding that “the City’s residents deserve nothing less”.
He said the DA in Gauteng is calling on all parties in the Tshwane City Council to put effective, delivery-focused government above party political games and stunts.
“Mr Brink now leads the City’s Multi-Party Coalition government and we, like our coalition partners, have full confidence in his ability to deliver on the promise of clean and compassionate governance to make the Capital City one that works for all its residents,” said Msimanga.
“The lingering effects of reckless lockdown policies, unlawful ANC interventions in the City from other spheres of government, poor financial decisions, and the continuous and escalating impact of prolonged stage 6 load-shedding has caused significant hardships for the City, especially with regards to its had a devastating impact on Tshwane’s finances.”
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