The battle for the soul of the Tshwane metro between the DA and ANC once again took another dramatic turn.
This time around the High Court in Pretoria ruled in DA’s favour in upholding an earlier judgement setting aside the Gauteng government’s decision to put the council under administration.
The decision means councillors could now return to work and elect a new mayor of the country’s capital city.
Last month, the Gauteng government approached the Constitutional Court over a decision of the High Court in Pretoria to set aside the dissolution of the Tshwane council in late April. This saw administrator Mpho Nawa remaining in his position.
The DA today managed to get the High Court to order the immediate implementation of its decision to lift the decision to dissolve the council, meaning Nawa has to vacate office.
In the judgement, the judges said the running of the city by an “unelected administrator” for more than 90 days was against the Constitution’s provision of people being governed by those they elected
“If this application is refused, an unelected administrator will remain in place, accountable only to the GEC (Gauteng executive committee) that appointed him and for a period far beyond that envisaged in the Constitution. It cannot be overlooked that the provincial government is controlled by a party that did not win the city of Tshwane municipal elections in 2016”.
Tshwane has for months not had a stable leadership of council, following the collapse of meetings due to walkouts by ANC and EFF councillors. The instability was occasioned by the resignation of Stevens Mokgalapa in early February amid a sex scandal.
