Will City of Tshwane elect a new mayor next week?

The City of Tshwane could have a new executive mayor next week if all goes according to plan amid tensions between political parties.

Tshwane speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana has called a council sitting to elect a replacement for Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Cilliers Brink.

This follows a notice issued to councillors on Friday.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 10am on Wednesday in the Tshwane House Council Chamber.

Ciller Brink voted out as City of Tshwane mayor

Brink was recently removed from his position through a motion of no confidence after serving as the mayor of Tshwane since March 2023.

Last Thursday, 120 councillors voted in favor of the motion, while 87 councillors opposed it.

The Tshwane council is required by law to elect a new mayor within 14 working days.

Negotiations among political parties regarding the new leadership of the metropolitan municipality are ongoing amid reports of a deadlock.

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The African National Congress (ANC) and ActionSA announced their intentions to present mayoral candidates prior to the discussions.

This reportedly prompted ActionSA to threaten withdrawal after abandoning the multi-party coalition that included the DA.

Simultaneously, the DA threatened to exit the Government of National Unity (GNU) in response to Brink’s ousting.

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille accused the ANC in Gauteng of jeopardising the future of the GNU, sparking a heated exchange between her and Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

Gauteng government intervention?

The current tensions could lead to further instability in Tshwane if the city fails to elect a new mayor next Wednesday.

Such a failure would violate the Municipal Structures Act, potentially prompting Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Jacob Mamabolo, to intervene in the city’s affairs.

If intervention occurs, it would mirror the events of 2020 when the municipality was placed under Section 139 by then Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile.

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However, the DA successfully challenged this decision in the Constitutional Court (ConCourt), which ruled the action unlawful.

Since the 2016 local government elections, Tshwane has been plagued by power struggles between two political factions—one led by the DA and the other by the ANC.

The city has also faced numerous financial challenges, including incidents of corruption in recent years.