DA hopes court can put them back in charge of Tshwane within weeks

The DA could regain power in the city of Tshwane in a matter of weeks, should the Supreme Court of Appeal rule in their favour on the High Court ruling which overturned the decision to place the city under administration, to be immediately implemented.

Speaking during a Zoom meeting on Thursday, DA shadow minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Cilliers Brink said the matter would be heard on Monday, with the outcome expected within seven to 14 days.

“The DA had won in the [North Gauteng] High Court and the case is being appealed and this is a delay. The DA won another important victory in that in terms of Section 18(3) of the Supreme Court Act, the High Court said that the judgement given in our favour is immediately implementable. In other words, council had to sit, proceed with its business and ANC and EFF councillors were forced by a mandamus to participate in the proceedings,” he explained.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said they wanted the hearing to set a precedent that provincial government should not interfere with matters of council.

“We expect the appeal by the ANC to be overturned and the original judgement is upheld… We want a very clear message from the court that unwarranted interference by a provincial government in an independent sphere in terms of a council for spurious reasons should not be tolerated,” said Steenhuisen.

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According to DA mayoral candidate Randall Williams, the city’s administrators had failed to provide adequate services for residents. He blamed them for the recent municipal workers’ strike, saying it left many workers still earning a salary while sitting at home and not providing services.

“Residents are appealing to us for help but there is limited help available to residents because we are not formally reinstated as councillors. Electricity outages, waste being dumped everywhere, rates clearance certificates are not being issued. Development is not taking place, meaning the city’s economy is not going to recover without economic activity taking place. There is no income or revenue for the city,” said Williams.

But the city’s head administrator, Mpho Nawa, announced this week that services were gradually returning to normal as waste was being collected, A Re Yeng bus services resumed, and power interruptions and water leaks were being resolved following three-week long interruptions.

rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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