Fight for Tshwane heats up with new mayoral hopefuls and fresh attacks

The fight for the throne of the City of Tshwane is heating up as more mayoral candidates are announced amid more attacks on the mayor in the capital.

Yesterday, ActionSA launched its 5 More Years campaign with party leader Herman Mashaba alongside current mayor Nasiphi Moya in the Pretoria CBD.

Tshwane mayoral race heats up

Moya said: “I launched my election posters in Tshwane with a simple message to residents: give ActionSA five more years to continue the work we have started and restore our capital city.

“When I accepted ActionSA’s nomination as mayoral candidate in May, I said that my vision was to build a capital city we can all be proud of again.

“We’ve made progress. But there is much more to do.”

The African Transformation Movement has also announced Mncedi Ndzwanana, who is currently speaker of council, as the party’s Tshwane mayoral candidate.

The EFF Tshwane caucus chief whip Godwin Ratikwane has requested the council speaker institute an investigation into the construction of a swimming pool, security upgrades and renovations at Moya’s private residence.

Ratikwane said it still had to be established whether a building plan application had been submitted and approved, who constructed the pool, what it cost, and whether any municipal resources, including employees, vehicles, equipment or contractors, were used.

EFF and ANC intensify scrutiny over Moya

Ratikwane also requested that the speaker confirm in writing, within 14 days of the date of this letter, what steps will be taken in response to this request.

Last Monday, the ANC’s Kgosi Maepa gave Moya seven days to disclose information about the corruption allegations involving both the Pretoria East and Eastern Cape houses, including invoices and proof of payments.

Then, ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont responded by lodging a formal complaint with the Electoral Commission of SA, requesting it investigate Maepa for what he described as repeated acts of disinformation against Moya.

He also and threatened to lay criminal charges against Maepa.

The DA took another jab at Moya after a committee reshuffle by replacing the ANC’s Frans Boshielo with Molatelo Samuel Mashola on Monday.

DA spokesperson on utilities Themba Fosi said the utilities MMC reshuffle was politically motivated because the new MMC has little time to make a meaningful impact.

DA slams utilities MMC reshuffle

“The former MMC for utilities, Boshielo, has been removed from his position for refusing to fall in line with the coalition of corruption.

“While we certainly will not miss his failed leadership, his removal just two months before an election is clearly the product of internal party politicking, not accountability for his failures,” he said.

ANC Greater Tshwane regional spokesperson Joel Kgomotso Abram Masilela said they have not announced any candidates but launched the party’s manifesto this weekend in Hammanskraal to outline what the ANC has achieved in the last 19 months.

“The ANC is committing itself to pragmatic actions in the build-up to the elections.

“This is also consistent with the manifesto on what the ANC would embark on carrying out in the first 100 days after the elections.

“This includes returning the City of Tshwane to its former glory when the ANC was still in government and reversing all the negative actions taken when the DA was in government,” he said.