Councillor Cilliers Brink has finally succeeded in his bid to become the mayor of the City of Tshwane after three unsuccessful attempts.
In a closely contested race, Brink, representing the DA, was up against Ofentse Moalusi, a councillor from the Congress of the People (Cope) and a preferred candidate of the ANC and EFF alliance.
Following the vote, which saw a total of 211 ballots cast, Brink emerged victorious with 109 councillors supporting his bid while Moalusi received 102 votes.
Brink’s appointment has dealt a significant blow to the ANC and EFF alliance, which has been striving to oust the DA from power in metros across Gauteng.
The alliance has recently colluded with minority parties to form a strong front against the DA-led multi-party coalition following the resignation of former mayor Randall Williams.
However, with Brink’s election, the DA-led coalition retains its majority in the council, and the ANC and EFF alliance’s efforts have been thwarted.
The collusion between the ANC, EFF, and minority parties resulted in the appointment of Murunwa Makwarela as the mayor of Tshwane in February, but his tenure was short-lived.
It was later revealed that Makwarela had misled the council by concealing the fact that he had been declared insolvent and deemed unfit to serve as a PR councillor by a court of law.
After the information came to light, Makwarela resigned as mayor of Tshwane and was subsequently dismissed as a Cope councillor.
Since then, the city has been beset by chaotic and dramatic developments, including unruly behavior by councillors during council sessions, making it challenging to elect a new mayor.
However, Brink is determined to bring order back to the city.
During his acceptance speech, the newly elected mayor emphasised his key objectives, which are to enhance service delivery and address the financial issues in the city.
He outlined his aspiration to develop a capital city that benefits all the residents, especially the underprivileged, and one which will provide opportunities for everyone to prosper.
Brink indicated that he believes that the city can only thrive if everyone works collectively towards a common goal of making it a great place for all its inhabitants.
“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,” he said.
“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. 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.”
Brink also stressed the need to reduce the city’s dependency on Eskom, highlighting that local government has not received any compensation or assistance to cope with the significant impact of loadshedding and Eskom’s failure.
“There has been zero compensation or support given to the local government sector to help us through the seismic changes brought about by loadshedding and the collapse of Eskom.
“To restore the balance between incomes and expenditures, Tshwane will have to make difficult decisions that we no longer have the luxury to avoid.
“We have to focus on the core mandate of local government and find affordable means to serve that mandate.
“We have to reduce our dependence on Eskom, and find alternative means of supplying electricity to residents, so that we can continue to cross-subsidise other services.”
He explained further: “In embarking upon these changes, we have to remind ourselves why local government and this municipality exist.
“We do not exist for councillors, political parties, municipal employees, trade unions, or any other special interest group.
“A municipality exists for the benefit of its residents, its local community, and generations to come. Whatever changes we make, basic services delivered by this city cannot be compromised.
“If we do that, we will simply deepen the deficit of trust and the deficit of money that we currently suffer.”
Commenting on the chaos that ensued in Tshwane in the past three weeks, Brinks described the situation as “unfortunate”.
“What has happened in our politics, and in this council chamber in the past three weeks has been deeply unfortunate, and I do hope we’ve reached a turning point,” he said.
“The people of Tshwane look to us to resolve our differences in an orderly way that avoids violence and hatred, and that does not disrupt the functioning of government.
“No matter how low the levels of debate have sunk in this council, it can never be accepted for anyone in this council to be threated and assaulted.
“If elected representatives behave in this way, it destroys the trust that ordinary people have in the system of democracy and the constitution which we have all sworn to uphold.
“I therefore want to extend a hand of cooperation to all of the political parties in this country, but especially those in the opposition.
“The democracy that I believe in is not one where one person or one party has a monopoly on truth, or enjoys an existential right to hold office.
“I have sat in the opposition benches before, and I know the difference between a mayor who respects the opposition and debate, and one who treats all politics as if it were war.
“There will be time for battle, but there also has to be time for serious deliberation, for earnest debate, for empathy, and for cooperation.
“Each of us, no matter how politically warm-blooded we are, must love our city and our country more than we dislike each other.”
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