News
Locals weigh in with Cilliers on brink of losing top job
In the wake of a political battle in which Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink faced a motion of no confidence on September 26, residents outside Tshwane House on Madiba Street in the Pretoria CBD were filled with mixed emotions.
Record engaged with several of them awaiting the result of the council meeting to learn Brink’s fate.
Residents outside Tshwane House had different views with some wanting the mayor to bow out, while others were in support of Brink retaining his mayoral chain.
Zula Matlhabana from Cosas Gauteng said they were there in support of the ANC and the motion of no confidence against Brink.
“We are in support, because service delivery has deteriorated in Tshwane over the past years,” said Matlhabana.
“Only suburbs are prioritised with service delivery. The Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) that has been rendering service delivery to the township community has been neglected over some time.
“We are here to ensure that we show support and continue supporting the motion against Brink,” he said.
Matlhabana added that in the past 18 months, they have seen sewage spills all over their different communities, community parks no longer maintained and no security for facilities.
“Brink only assists in the suburbs concerning service delivery.”
Portia Matsetsebe from Orchards New Stands said Brink must step down because there is no service delivery where she is staying.
She said there was no water in her area most of the time.
Addressing his followers outside Tshwane House, Brink said: “The fight continues and let’s build the capital city that works for all its people”.
He also addressed the public about the service delivery that his administration is currently working on and what it has done for the capital city.
He thanked MMC for Finance, Jacqui Uys, for leading the financial recovery of the city.
“Thank you for making Tshwane the city with the best financial improvement of all the metros in the past year,” Brink said.
He also thanked MMC for Health, Rina Marx, for spearheading the attempt to get proper clinics and healthcare in communities. “Marx made sure we are resilient and that we look after our people.”
Brink said these were some of the attempts that had gone into building a capital city that works for all its people.
“When we fight, we won’t give up; when we say we are not going to abandon you, it is not for ourselves; it is for the people of Tshwane.”
He said this fight is for clean water in Hammanskraal, beneficiaries of social housing, transport, Wonderboom Junction, and finishing the BRT lane.
“We stand together with the people of Tshwane and anybody who cares about the future of the city. We must think, if we take these people out, who do we put in their place?” said Brink.
“If we stop what they are busy with, what is going to happen to the future of the city?
“A leader is not somebody who takes credit for themselves and blames the partners for anything that goes wrong,” he said.
He assured the DA, FF Plus, ACDP, and IFP the fight would continue to build the capital city that works for all its people.
Several possibilities for how Tshwane may proceed after the council meeting were discussed during a meeting of the Pretoria Chamber of Commerce.
Coalition partners, the Freedom Front (FF+) and the DA, presented the scenarios to business people after former Tshwane coalition partner, ActionSA departed the coalition on September 15.
Brink said one of these options involves the possibility of forming a government of local unity by concluding a co-operation agreement with the ANC whereby both parties retain their identities and do not oppose each other’s proposals in the council.
Another idea was to put the same structure locally to work in Tshwane as at the national level where the ANC, DA, and smaller parties such as COPE, GOOD and the IFP as well as the ACDP would maintain a majority government.
His other option is that the coalition parties take on the opposition role in council for the next 17 months until the
