Ousting of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink raises questions

It was not unexpected, yet still, the ousting yesterday of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink raises serious questions about the future of coalition politics at local government level – and even concerns about whether the government of national unity (GNU) itself might not be affected by the fallout.

The shaky grouping which had tried to run the capital city under Brink was always going to be under threat as the DA mayor was accused from multiple sides of either not cracking down on corruption, or promoting it and of concerning himself with service delivery in the mainly white areas of the city.

ALSO READ: Mashaba says DA and ANC were colluding to oust ActionSA in Tshwane

In the end, it was the votes of Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA which stuck the knife in Brink’s back, with its 19 councillors providing the majority the ANC and EFF needed to oust him.

The irony, which has not been lost of many angry ActionSA voters, is that the party had, earlier this year swore it would never cooperate with the ANC.

That was one of the reasons Mashaba refused to take part in the GNU.

At the same time, as we report today, at the 100-day point in its life, the GNU appears to be working, aside from personal differences and the butting of heads here and there.

The country is now watching closely to see where these well-concealed tensions below the surface in the GNU will similarly cause it to fall apart.

ALSO READ: Cilliers Brink’s removal will be ‘a tragedy for SA and GNU’ – Zille [VIDEO]

Although it is still early days for that new administration, there is broad agreement among many that if the GNU does fail, it will leave South Africa at the mercy of extremist politicians and open the door to wider corruption.

However, maybe one should give the incoming mayor of Tshwane – whomever that is – the opportunity to leave their mark. If you say Brink was a disaster, prove you were right by delivering.