Another Democratic Alliance (DA) has failed to complete a term of office, just like Solly Msimanga and Stevens Mokgalapa. Executive Mayor Randall Williams has tendered his resignation with immediate effect on Monday, ahead of a motion of no confidence against him.
But Gauteng DA’s leader Solly Msimanga says the coalition in Tshwane is still intact. Msimanga says the coalition is still strong and a new mayor will be agreed upon in the coming days.
“It is part of the conversations that we have had, these are the things then we will be able to take forward. There is a need for a complete turnaround strategy, there is a need for economic growth and Covid that crippled municipalities. Services have been hampered, we agreed that it will be good for him to be on the side and getting somebody and getting the coalition behind somebody who can bind the coalition again,” says Msimanga.
VIDEO: Tshwane Mayor – Reaction to Wiliams’ resignation: Solly Msimanga
New formed coalition
The African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng have a newly formed voting relationship and hope to remove the DA from power in the province’s municipalities.
Williams has vacated his office with immediate effect. His tenure was marked by controversy over allegations of tender manipulation, undue influence in appointing a service provider to the municipality and R10 billion in irregular expenditure as reported by the auditor general.
VIDEO: Opposition parties celebrate resignation of City of Tshwane mayor, Randall Wiliams
The ANC has bemoaned the state of Gauteng metros under the DA-led coalition. Many are failing to pay service providers.
In Tshwane, municipal buses had to be parked due to a lack of diesel and in Johannesburg; suppliers took back their vehicles due to non-payment.
“The DA has not only destroyed Tshwane with an unaccounted R10 billion bill, but they have also removed all the financial muscle of our once dynamic Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. Where ever the DA governs, it must be removed from power,” says Gauteng ANC provincial chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi.
Lesufi says the party’s new coalition partners and the EFF will try and take the capital city from the DA Led coalition.
“We call on the DA not to postpone the inevitable in Ekurhuleni and immediately relinquish their minority power and let the majority govern. No amount of wasting time in courts will help them, as we prepare for Tshwane and other municipalities together with our coalition partners, we will be able to deal with these issues facing the people,” Lesufi explains.
Current coalition governments in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are now seeing major instability due to new alliances between the ANC, PA, EFF, NFP and other minority parties.
Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Mzi Khumalo has urged political parties in the Tshwane City Council to ensure there is stability within the municipality.
Khumalo says the council should prioritise the election of the new executive mayor and mayoral committee members. Khumalo says the collapse of financial management under Williams, coupled with persistent governance challenges has rendered the municipality incapable of discharging its constitutional mandate and responsibility.
The MEC’s spokesperson is Kgapa Mabusela says, “MEC Khumalo is of the view that the expeditious election of the new executive mayor and the subsequent appointment of members of the mayoral committee is crucial that the new executive can attend to the Auditor-General recent adverse findings on unauthorised, wasteful and fruitless expenditure, coupled with persistent governance challenges that beset the City of Tshwane.
