By Daanyaal Matthews
Former Spokesperson for the Democratic Alliance (DA), Cilliers Brink, has lost his position as Mayor of Tshwane after being ousted by opposition parties in the municipality, who have cited major issues in governance as the reason behind his failure to maintain power in the metro.
The dismissal of Brinks has been welcomed by the primary caller for his elimination—the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC has alleged that Brinks and his administration have been destructive in their rule, with ANC Gauteng Provincial Secretary, Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza, stating:
“Since coming into office in August 2016, the DA-led multiparty government has done nothing but reverse some of the most important work that it inherited from the ANC-led coalition government that preceded it. While the latter had adopted a pro-poor ideology that sought to improve the lives of the poor in the city, with townships and informal settlements being specifically targeted for developmental initiatives, the DA-led multiparty government had maintained the stance of hurling the poor at the margins.”
Meanwhile ActionSA, which was in partnership with the DA in running the Tshwane Municipality, also welcomed the dispossession of the disgraced mayor.
“When one looks at the differences between suburban and township communities in Tshwane, the real problem emerged. In suburban communities, 64% of respondents indicated an improvement in service delivery, while in townships this number was as low as 24%. In this shocking statistic lies the problem, that ActionSA found itself in a coalition at the mercy of a mayor from a party who has no discernible constituency in the townships of the city he governed,” asserts Funzi Ngobeni, ActionSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson.
For many, the removal of Brinks is no surprise, given the contention of parties within the Tshwane Municipality; however, for political analyst Dr. Levy Ndou, the disintegration of governance in the municipality reflects the volatility of municipal coalitions.
“The removal of the former mayor of the City of Tshwane should not come as a surprise. This has been long coming, and it should also be looked at in the context of political instability and poor governance that are associated with coalitions in South Africa. The realignment of the different political parties in the City of Tshwane necessitated the removal of the mayor, and indeed, if there is constant change or alignment of the different political parties, this will not be the last to be much felt; see more coming,” argues Dr. Ndou.
VOC News
Photo: Screenshot
