The ANC in Tshwane says it is moving ahead with plans to remove DA councillor Cilliers Brink as executive mayor, with a motion of no confidence scheduled to be tabled later in September.
This comes as auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke has sounded the alarm over political instability in local councils, saying it has affected service delivery. Political instability has seen a revolving door of mayors in Gauteng’s three metros of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane as the results of the 2021 local government elections did not produce a clear winner, resulting in parties forming coalitions to run the councils.
Calls for Brink to go come after the introduction of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill of 2023 — which calls for a raft of reforms in the governance of the country’s 257 municipalities — was published in the Government Gazette for public comment in May.
The bill seeks to strengthen hung local councils by calling for written and “binding coalition agreements” between parties; that the election or removal from office of municipal office bearers be conducted by a show of hands rather than secret ballot; and that political parties should obtain a minimum of 1% of the valid votes cast in an election to qualify for a seat in the council, among other items.
The bill comes as several councils, including some Gauteng metros, have been rocked by financial challenges, corruption, a lack of expert human capital and political instability, with the frequent changes of municipal office bearers causing a breakdown in the delivery of basic services to communities.
According to the proposed legislation, a municipal council, by a resolution taken by a show of hands, may remove its executive mayor, deputy executive mayor, whip, speaker, or one or all members of the executive mayoral committee, “provided that two years have passed” since their election.
The council, however, may remove the office bearers at any time on the grounds of “a serious violation of the constitution or the law, serious misconduct or inability to perform the functions of office”, the bill reads.
Tshwane is run by a multiparty coalition including the DA, IFP, ACDP, Freedom Front Plus, Defenders of the People and ActionSA.
On Tuesday, Michael Beaumont, national chair of ActionSA, which was instrumental in the resignation of Kabelo Gwamanda as Johannesburg mayor in August, said the party’s position on Brink was still subject to an ongoing review process.
This is because ActionSA is part of the DA-led multiparty coalition running SA’s capital city, although it has since changed its stance on the coalition, accusing the DA of continually undermining it.
ActionSA has also accused DA councillors of having deliberately spoiled their ballots instead of voting for an ActionSA speaker candidate.
This subsequently led to ATM councillor Mncedi Ndzwanana elected as council speaker in March 2023.
ActionSA and the ANC have also accused the DA in Tshwane of neglecting black townships in rolling out service delivery to communities, an allegation the DA denies.
ANC Tshwane regional chair Eugene Modise said the party’s national working committee was still finalising discussions with parties represented in the Tshwane council on the way forward.
“We are talking to everybody and everybody is talking to us. We are going to table a new motion of no confidence against the mayor on September 26 because we withdrew the one we tabled recently,” Modise said.
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga and DA Tshwane spokesperson Kwena Moloto could not be reached immediately for comment.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.