By Doreen Mokgolo
It was third time lucky for the DA coalition which regained control of the R54 billion Tshwane metro on Tuesday.
Two previous attempts to elect a mayor in the troubled municipality failed.
The municipality was hung after no single party won a clear majority in the 2021 local government elections.
It now falls on newly elected mayor Cilliers Brink of the DA to lead the council and prepare the municipality for the presentation of the council’s adjustment budget scheduled for 14 April.
The DA caucus leader was elected with 109 votes. He ran against the newly sworn-in Cope councillor Ofenste Moalusi who received 102 votes.
Former mayor, the disgraced former Cope councillor Murunwa Makwarela, vacated office after submitting a fake insolvency rehabilitation certificate.
The first half of the special council meeting on Tuesday descended to chaos with ANC and EFF councillors refusing to participate in the business of the day.
During the election of the mayor two weeks ago, DA members allegedly spoiled their ballots by incorrectly labelling them with the codes allocated by their party. This was to determine which councillors voted in line with the party orders.
All 69 DA votes were declared to be spoiled votes and deemed to be a transgression of the voting guidelines of the IEC.
Meanwhile, in the City of Ekurhuleni, another DA Mayor Tania Campbell is facing a motion of no confidence which will be entertained during the ordinary council meeting on Thursday.
The motion was tabled by the Super Seven councillors (Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa, African Independent Congress, PAC, Cope, UDM, ATM and Independent Citizens Movement) three weeks ago.
The motion has led to the State of the City which was scheduled for Wednesday being postponed for next month.
To date, Campbell has survived two motions of no confidence since she took office. With the EFF and ANC having ironed out their differences in the Metro, Campbell’s chances of surviving the motion are slim.
Pictured above: Cilliers Brink
Image source: Supplied
