Could Tshwane be the next municipality to have an ANC mayor? Lesufi reveals plans to take back Tshwane

The City of Tshwane could be the next municipality to see mayoral changes, says the provincial chairperson of the ANC and Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi.

Lesufi was briefing the media on Monday in Johannesburg at the end of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting.

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He said the ANC had been approached to have engagements about a strategy to take back the City of Tshwane. Currently, the city is being led by a DA-led coalition with Cilliers Brink as mayor.

‘A huge chance’

“There is a huge chance that can happen in Tshwane in the next two weeks. There has been a huge surge from political parties who want the ANC to come back and rescue Tshwane,” he said.

Lesufi said the province would have engagements with the ANC mother body concerning moves to reclaim Tshwane.

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“We want to consult our national leadership because there are various dynamics around Tshwane. We have to be sensitive to the relationship that has been established with national government as well,” he said.

Lesufi congratulated ANC Johannesburg chairperson Dada Morero, who was sworn in as the new Johannesburg mayor on Friday. He took over from placeholder mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, a councillor from Al-Jama-ah.

‘There will be changes in Tshwane’

ANC provincial secretary TK Nciza said the ANC was concerned about service delivery problems in Tshwane.

“We believe there will be changes in Tshwane and we are engaging with Action SA and other parties about Tshwane,” he said.

Nciza said the ANC was certain about the numbers they needed to take back Tshwane.

In an interview with The Citizen, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba confirmed that the deal that party has with the ANC would affect other municipalities in Gauteng, such as Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.

The current arrangement in Johannesburg and Tshwane has seen EFF councillors maintain their positions on the mayoral committee despite a breakdown in relations with the ANC at a local level.

The ANC had suffered a blow in Gauteng, obtaining around 34% of the vote in the national elections.

The party said it would focus on reviving its ties to different sectors of the community and regaining public trust.