Nasiphi Moya elected mayor of Tshwane

ActionSA’s Dr Nasiphi Moya has been elected as the new mayor of the City of Tshwane.

Moya received the support of her own party, as well as the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a number of smaller parties in the council.

She received 122 votes, to 86 for the DA’s Cilliers Brink.

She holds a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Cape Town and a PhD in Political Science from the University of the Western Cape.

Moya thanked her supporters and new coalition partners in a press briefing before her election.

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Less high-heels and more safety boots

“I do not know how to express my gratitude for the confidence you have shown in me. To get the overwhelming support of other political parties means a lot to me,” said Moya.

She said she was prepared to hit the ground running and serve all the communities of Tshwane.

“My provincial chair told me to do less of the high heels and more of the safety boots. I took that mandate and went to communities in Tshwane,” she said.

Moya has been the acting mayor of the City of Tshwane since Cilliers Brink was removed in a vote of no confidence.

She said she had support from parties such as the ANC in running the city.

Moya said the past two weeks, when she was acting mayor, were difficult.

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ANC national and Gauteng on the same page

Meanwhile, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC was in full support of Moya’s new role as mayor.

Bhengu said the ANC appreciated the humility that ActionSA had displayed in negotiations for Moya’s candidature.

“Coming to a decision to support the nomination of the current acting mayor was not a difficult decision to come to,” she said.

Bhengu said more consultations would be done concerning the deputy mayor position, mayoral committee members and positions in the legislature.

On the other hand, Panyaza Lesufi, chairperson of the ANC in Gauteng, said support for Moya was a result of negotiations about several municipalities with ActionSA.

“The ANC is open-minded in its approach to building partnerships. We were convinced by the presentation of ActionSA,” Lesufi said.

He said the ANC’s mother body had been consulted and had approved the ANC’s support for an ActionSA candidate.

“I want to thank the leadership of ActionSA for putting the interests of our people above petty party politics,” he said.