Cilliers Brink removed as City of Tshwane mayor

Cilliers Brink has been removed as mayor of the City of Tshwane.

Brink was defeated in a motion of no confidence on Thursday at council chambers after 120 councillor voted for the motion, while 87 voted against it. One councillor abstained.

His defeat follows the collapse of the DA’s coalition with ActionSA in the region. It is not clear what coalition formation will follow after Brink’s removal.

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As a result, the entire mayoral committee has been dissolved and the Speaker of Council was expected to announce a date when a new mayor would be elected and sworn in. The City of Tshwane has two weeks to elect another mayor.

Council erupts in cheers; DA calls it a costly mistake

There was jubilation inside council chambers when the results of the motion of no confidence were announced by the speaker.

Before the motion was voted on, political parties outside of the Multi-Party Coalition stated various reasons for Brink’s removal.

However, the DA and its partners insisted that removing Brink was a mistake and would have negative effects on the City of Tshwane.

There were some tensions among councilors after the announcement of the results leading to the speaker of council warning councilors not to intimidate each other.

What now for Brink?

In a statement on Thursday morning, DA caucus spokesperson, Kwena Moloto described Brink’s removal as a tragedy for the City of Tshwane.

“The withdrawal of ActionSA from the Tshwane multi-party coalition has plunged the City of Tshwane into political instability. It now threatens the future of the capital city. The DA will, however, not abandon Tshwane residents,” Moloto said.

Moloto said the DA would field Brink’s name again for re-election.

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“The DA will field him again as a mayoral candidate in a subsequent election. If we do not win, we will return to the opposition benches.

“It will be a great pity, and a waste opportunity. However, it’s a reality of the deep divisions in the ANC,” he said.

He said should that fail then the DA would become an effective opposition in the City of Tshwane.

“Until the ANC can overcome these divisions, we will be compelled to play the role of an effective opposition. We will also make every attempt to protect the residents of the City of Tshwane against the abuses of Lesufi/EFF faction,” he said.

Moloto said Brink had stabilized the finances of the municipality and fought corruption inside the municipality.

“Before this power grab the Tshwane Metro had a budget surplus of R200 million. However, the ANC provincial administrators, which included a former mayor of the West Rand District, left the city with a budget deficit exceeding R4 billion,” he said.