DA fights to restore Tshwane metro council

The DA was set to file papers in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to have the court judgment overturning the dissolution of the Tshwane council to be made effective immediately.

This as the Gauteng provincial government on Friday filed to appeal the ruling.

The DA’s legal intervention, which seeks to immediately get councillors back at the Tshwane council, will be filed on Monday.

DA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Mike Moriarty said the party instructed its lawyers to oppose the appeal.

“We will file papers in the Gauteng North High Court. In this regard, we will ask the court to use rule 18 (3) to order that the judgement to overturn the dissolution of Tshwane council be effective immediately.”

He added that the DA embarked on the court battle as it believes municipalities should operate without fear of “undue intervention” from the provincial government.

“Next year, the ANC is likely to lose control of dozens of municipalities to minority governments.

“But they will be in provinces where the ANC is still dominant. If we don’t stop them in Tshwane then the precedent will be set,” he said.

He said the appeal was a political tactic by the ANC to get its governing power back in the metro.

Meanwhile, the Tshwane metro is still under administration as the legal battle continues.