The Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor and mayor of the City of Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, has been removed from his position. He was removed in a motion of no confidence vote in council on Thursday.
This has been a long-awaited outcome for the ANC and ActionSA, who have been in discussions about a coalition in the city.
The motion of no confidence was initiated by the ANC in Tshwane with approval from the mother body.
120 votes in favour of the removal and 87 against
It received 120 votes in favour of the removal and 87 against, with one person choosing to abstain. This leaves the City of Tshwane currently without an executive mayor.
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Funzi Ngobeni, ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson, said the party fully welcomed the decision to remove Brink as mayor.
Ngobeni said they had been part of the “mediocre government”. And they finally decided that they had to act in the interest of all the residents of Tshwane.
He noted that the important utilities portfolio had been constitutionally vested in the mayor. This included water, sanitation, electricity and sewage.
ActionSA welcomes Brink’s removal
“In a recently commissioned market research conducted as part of ActionSA’s review, only 36% of respondents felt that the city was moving in the right direction over the past 18 months. With 54% believing the city had got worse. And a further 10% indicating that no improvements had been experienced,” said Ngobeni.
He said the stark differences between suburban and township communities in Tshwane reveal a major issue.
While 64% of respondents in suburban areas reported improvements in service delivery, other areas differed. Only 24% of those in townships felt the same way.
He said this concerning statistic highlights the challenge ActionSA faces. Being in a coalition with a mayor from a party that lacks a significant presence in the city’s townships.
“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,” said Ngobeni.
