DA: Plans In Place To Elect New Tshwane Mayor On Friday

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday said plans were in place to elect a new City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality mayor on Friday.

The municipality was expected to hold its first virtual meeting with councillors to elect Stevens Mokgalapa’s replacement.

This came after the Pretoria High Court ordered the administrator appointed by the Gauteng provincial government to vacate office, declaring his appointment invalid and unconstitutional.

The mayoral position had been vacant for months now since the resignation of Mokgalapa who was in a scandal that brought his party and office into disrepute.

DA mayoral candidate Randall Williams said they did not want to waste any time.

“Today’s court judgment is a crucial victory for the residents of the municipality because it entrenches their right to be governed by the representatives that they elected. The reinstated councillors will immediately begin planning the logistics around holding a council meeting to ensure that a mayor can be elected and that the disruptions to governance and service delivery caused by [Cooperative Governance MEC] Lebogang Maile and his cronies come to an end,”

The party said all elected councillors were expected to abide by the court judgment and return to work.

DA HAILS COURT VICTORY

Meanwhile, the DA said it was vindicated by the Pretoria High Court’s judgement that ruled in favour of the party, declaring the dissolution of the City of Tshwane council illegal.

The ruling paved the way for all councillors to return to work.

The DA said the judgment was a further indictment against Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Maile, who the party said had undermined governance in the City of Tshwane.

The party said the court was clear that it was unlawful and unconstitutional for the province to place the municipality under administration.

Williams said the administrators had already stopped their work.

“This judgment sets a vital precedent for the many councils for which leadership is won against the ANC by minority governments in next year’s elections. Such councils will typically be located in provinces where there will be an ANC provincial government,” Williams said.

Williams said they wanted to return to work by Friday.

The DA also said the costs order against the province and Maile stood.

EWN