Brink leaving already? Motion for Tshwane mayor’s removal brewing

Barely 24 hours after the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Cilliers Brink was elected as Tshwane mayor after he defeated Congress of the People (Cope) councillor Ofentse Moalusi, Johannesburg council speaker Colleen Makhubele confirmed opposition parties would bring a motion to remove Brink.

“Tshwane is tricky with its numbers. Our coalition was missing two EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] councillors and one ANC councillor who died,” she said.

“We have not seen the last of Tshwane. They are regrouping, they are talking to their partners even those we know in the multiparty coalition are not happy with the state of the multiparty coalition and that is why they voted with the previous mayor in Dr Murunwa Makwarela,” she said.

‘Numbers not on our side in Tshwane’

She added that the people who voted for former Cope councillor Makwarela to become mayor were still there for the taking as they were not happy with the multiparty coalition.

“Those people are still there and they are willing to support our coalition but it is just that on the day we could see the numbers were not on our side because of those who were absent.”

On Thursday, a motion of no confidence is expected against Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell. The motion is likely to pass as the ANC and EFF-led coalition has the numbers.

ALSO READ: Parties call on new Tshwane mayor to focus on stabilising city finances, service delivery

Makhubele said they were looking forward to putting a new mayor in Ekurhuleni and it was going to be interesting because Ekurhuleni has got numbers. She could, however, not answer if her party would field their own candidate as mayor.

“Negotiations are still underway. The EFF will decide who they put their confidence in. Of course, we would like them to see the leadership qualities the Cope brings,” Makhubele said.

‘I owe nobody an explanation’

She defended her decision to attend a Tshwane council sitting while on sick leave, saying she owes nobody an explanation.

Last week, Makhubele attended the Tshwane sitting to elect a mayor while she was meant to preside over the 12th ordinary meeting of the Johannesburg council, but filed a leave of absence, citing ill-health.

Following her absence, ActionSA Gauteng provincial leader Funzi Ngobeni indicated he would refer Makhubele to the council’s ethics committee for her failure to preside over two council meetings and instead chose to attend to her party squabbles.

ALSO READ: DA’s Cilliers Brink elected as City of Tshwane mayor

He said the party was baffled to see her taking part in the Tshwane council meeting reportedly to address a disagreement within her own party Cope about a new councillor.

“Makhubele relegated herself to an audience member in the Tshwane council, while her own council meeting was in progress. She blatantly and plainly in dereliction of her duties to the City of Joburg and as such has a case to answer,” Ngobeni said.

“[She] has always placed the interests of her political party above those of the residents of Johannesburg.”

Makhubele said “resolutions were taken and the council meeting went well” in her absence.

ALSO READ: ActionSA replaces fired councillors in City of Tshwane ahead of mayor election

“There is no law that says when you are sick you must be in bed. We do not owe anybody an explanation about my whereabouts when I’m off sick. I am supposed to be back on 10 April because I had a surgery four weeks ago.”

– lungam@citizen.co.za