ANC GAUTENG STATEMENT ON THE REMOVAL OF DA MAYOR IN THE CITY OF TSHWANE
26 September 2024
The ANC in Gauteng welcomes the removal of the Democratic Alliance Mayor, Celliers Brink, through a motion of no confidence that was passed by the City of Tshwane council today. The motion, which was supported by the majority of the Council, was sponsored by the ANC Caucus as a mechanism of rescuing the municipality from the maladministration of the DA-led multiparty government which for the past 8 years has led the city through a destructive path of regress and reversal of the gains of our hard won democracy.
Since coming into office in August 2016, the DA-led multiparty government has done nothing but reverse some of the most important work that it inherited from the ANC-led coalition government that preceded it. While the latter had adopted a pro-poor ideology that sought to improve the lives of the poor in the City, with townships and informal settlements being specifically targeted for developmental initiatives, the DA-led multiparty government had maintained the stance of hurling the poor at the margins.
This was evidenced in the successive Auditor General statements, the Quality of life Survey, the genocide of our people In Hammanskraal through cholera and the Service Delivery Coordination reports that were tabled by the multiparty government itself, which demonstrate the deterioration of service delivery in townships and informal settlements across the metro.
The financial constraints that the City of Tshwane is presently facing are a direct product of the collapse of governance under the DA-led multiparty govemment which approved Budgets that fail dismally to respond to the priority needs of communities in Tshwane especially historically black, Indian and coloured communities. The said budgets were finalised without any evaluation and considerable incorporation of the views of the public— a demonstration of complete disregard for constitutionality in which public participation is central.
Over the past few weeks, the DA-led multiparty government has introduced austerity measures in the City of Tshwane under the guise of stabilising the municipality's finances. In reality, the finances of the municipality are in shambles following months of mismanagement which has led to the DA recalling many of its mayors and members of the mayoral committee. The DA-led multiparty government inherited a municipality that was financially viable and one that had important projects in the pipeline to generate billions of rands in revenue. With no rhyme or reason, many of these projects have been halted, delaying the economic recovery plans for the municipality.
Under the DA-led multiparty government, the municipality has experienced unprecedented instability in govemance. In just the last 8 years, the DA has had 5 mayors and all of which disgracefully left office including mayoral committees that have been reshuffled numerous times. This had devastating consequences for the critical work that the city has been involved in — work which anchors the economic growth and development objectives of the municipality.
The DA-led multiparty government in the City of Tshwane is a perfect reflection of how the DA leads across the province. The maladministration and poor governance that was experienced in Tshwane was being experienced in the City of Ekurhuleni and the City of Johannesburg, where instability and racialism was the order of the day. This is how the DA governs — not the false image it has presented to the world.
The removal of racist Celliers Brink who undermined and ill treated the workers of the city marks the beginning of the re-strengthening of the City of Tshwane and the Gauteng Province broadly. It is also an early gift to the people of Tshwane , who deserve a leadership that is intentional about bestowing the greatest gift to them — a more human face.
Statement issued by the ANC Gauteng Provincial Secretary, Comrade Thembinkosi "TK" Nciza, 26 September 2024
