Acting Tshwane mayor Abel Tau.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has released a statement confirming it has appointed Abel Tau as acting Tshwane mayor after Stevens Mokgalapa went on special leave as the party investigates allegations against him.
This after audio was circulated of him allegedly having sex with roads and transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge, while also making several damning comments about his colleagues and political opponents alike.
The DA says Tau has been serving as a member of the city’s mayoral committee for utilities since March, and has been DA Gauteng north regional chairperson since October 2017 as well as a “long-serving” ward councillor before that.
“Together with his mayoral team, he will continue to deliver efficient basic services to the residents of Tshwane and ensure that other services rendered to residents are not affected.”
READ MORE: ANC in pole position to retake mayorship of Joburg
Whether Tau will indeed get a chance to deliver any services is unclear, as Mokgalapa is facing two separate votes of no confidence on Thursday and is unlikely to survive them.
Both the Economic Freedom Fighters and the ANC have tabled urgent motions of no confidence against Mokgalapa and if the motions succeed, the DA retaining control of Tshwane is unlikely.
This means the party could lose both Johannesburg and Tshwane in one day, as a vote for Joburg’s new mayor will take place on Thursday morning, following Herman Mashaba’s resignation in October and departure on Wednesday.
The Citizen reported on Wednesday that insiders party to the horse-trading currently occurring among city councillors have confirmed that the ANC appears to have done enough to retake control of the City of Johannesburg after losing the mayorship in 2016.
The ANC is yet to name who its candidate will be, but has submitted three names internally and plans to announce its candidate once the party’s national officials have overseen the process for a suitable candidate.
The Patriotic Alliance has already confirmed to The Citizen that their councillor, Lloyd Phillips, will be voting for whoever the ANC’s candidate will be. Party president Gayton McKenzie said they believed the ANC would be the better governance option until the next local government elections in 2021.
Earlier it was speculated that the ANC could elect to support an IFP mayor, with talks between the party and the IFP ongoing. However, the momentum now appears to have shifted in the ANC’s favour, according to party sources.
The EFF, with 30 seats, announced that it would nominate Musa Novela for the top position. Assuming that all its councillors vote for Novela, it’s highly unlikely that the ANC will not emerge victorious in the event that they choose not to install the IFP’s Bonginkosi Dlamini.
The DA announced Funzela Ngobeni as its nominee.
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