The Tshwane Municipality Council has 14 days to elect a new mayor following the ousting of former mayor Cilliers Brink of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Brink was removed after a motion of no confidence on Thursday, September 26, tabled by the African National Congress (ANC), was passed successfully. The ANC argued that Brink had failed the residents of Tshwane and misused public funds.

ActionSA, a former coalition partner of the DA, had long advocated for Brink's removal, citing poor performance in service delivery. ActionSA had previously withdrawn from the coalition, sharing the ANC's concerns about Brink’s leadership.

They have since expressed interest in taking over leadership of the city, aligning with their stance on the DA’s shortcomings.

Despite the allegations against Brink, the DA remains steadfast in their support for him. The party took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend his record, saying:

"The DA has, and always will be a party that puts residents' needs first. Today, a government that did exactly that has been ousted. Good and responsible governance has been sacrificed for a matrimony that will undoubtedly leave the people of Tshwane worse off than ever before."

They further added, "The people of Tshwane deserve better than the instability made possible by ego-driven individuals who, in betraying them, have also betrayed South Africa."

Following Brink’s removal, ActionSA highlighted the glaring differences in service delivery between urban and township areas in Tshwane. In a statement, they pointed out: “When one looks at the differences between suburban and township communities in Tshwane, the real problem emerges.

“In suburban communities, 64% of respondents indicated an improvement in service delivery, while in townships this number was as low as 24%."

ActionSA argued that these disparities reflected the failure of the coalition under Brink’s leadership, especially given that the DA had no substantial constituency in the townships of Tshwane.

IOL