Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
01 October 2024 | 09:01 CAT

Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink thanked the crowd for their support on Thursday morning ahead of the motion of no confidence against him. (Alex Patrick/News24)

South Africa’s capital city, Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is without a mayor after Cilliers Brink was voted out in a motion of no confidence on 26 September.

The motion of no confidence comes at a time of heightened tension, with the relationship between ActionSA and the DA reaching a breaking point. The ANC in the metro has been given the go-ahead by its national leadership to form a coalition government with ActionSA, adding to the uncertainty.

Brink was removed by 120 votes to 87, with one abstention.

This has been a long-awaited outcome for the ANC and ActionSA, which have been discussing a coalition in the city.

The motion to remove the Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor was supported by the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance (PA) and other minority parties.

Brink’s removal was due to the breakdown of the relationship between ActionSA and the DA and accusations of misusing municipality funds. The motion was supported by 87 councillors, with one person abstaining. – Herman Moloi

Meanwhile, in recently commissioned market research conducted as part of ActionSA’s review, only 36% of respondents felt that the city had moved in the right direction over the past 18 months. 54% believed the city had gotten worse, and a further 10% indicated that no improvements had been experienced.

According to ActionSA, “When one looks at the differences between suburban and township communities in Tshwane, the real problem emerged. In suburban communities, 64% of respondents indicated an improvement in service delivery, while in townships this number was as low as 24%. In this shocking statistic lies the problem, that ActionSA found itself in a coalition at the mercy of a Mayor from a party who has no discernible constituency in the townships of the city he governed.”

“It is for this reason, and many others, that ActionSA Tshwane Councillors joined forces with the ANC and other parties in voting out DA Executive Mayor Brink, and within 14 days, we will join forces again in voting in the new Executive Mayor,” ActionSA concluded.

You can listen to the full interview on The Daily Round Up with Muallimah Annisa Essack and ActionSA National Spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni here.