New Tshwane Mayor Elected from Cope Party: Murunwa Makwarela

Dr Murunwa Makwarela, a Congress of the People (Cope) party member, has been elected as the new executive mayor of Tshwane, South Africa. He won the mayoral election after securing 112 votes, primarily from the African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political parties. Before he was appointed mayor, Makwarela served as the Tshwane Speaker as reported by IOL.

His election came after Randall Williams’s resignation, who was Tshwane’s mayor before him. Williams stepped down from the post on February 13. MakwarelaAfter the resignation of Tshwane’s former mayor, Randall Williams, on February 13, Dr Murunwa Makwarela was elected as the new executive mayor. Makwarela, the sitting Tshwane Speaker, defeated Cilliers Brink, the mayoral candidate of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, in the election. Brink is a former Tshwane councillor and MMC for corporate and shared services. He recently resigned as a Member of Parliament to become a mayoral candidate for the DA-led coalition. He was sworn in as a councillor in Tshwane just last week.

Makwarela’s appointment as the new executive mayor of Tshwane followed the resignation of Randall Williams on February 13, who was the mayor before him. The defeated mayoral candidate, Cilliers Brink, was from the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, a former Tshwane councillor, and previously held the position of MMC for corporate and shared services. Brink, who recently resigned as a Member of Parliament, was selected as the DA-led coalition’s mayoral candidate and was sworn in as a councillor in Tshwane the previous week.

Out of the 213 votes cast, Brink received 101, while Makwarela secured 112 votes. The new mayor received support from the ANC, EFF, and other small parties. They thought removing the DA from power would liberate and help the people of Tshwane receive better services. ANC spokesperson Joel Masilela expressed his satisfaction with the election result, saying it was a great relief for millions of people in the township who would now receive the services they had missed for the past seven years.

Masilela, the spokesperson for Tshwane’s ANC, told Newzroom Afrika that their coalition was fed up with the DA’s bullying tactics and disregard for serving impoverished communities. He emphasized that a single party did not initiate the negotiations to transfer power but rather a collaborative effort between the ANC, EFF, and other groups who recognized the need to improve services for the people.

This is not the first instance where the ANC and EFF have teamed up to remove the DA from power. In the previous month, the parties worked jointly to oust Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse through a vote of no confidence. They then joined forces to elect Al Jama-ah’s Thapelo Amad as the interim mayor of Johannesburg. Additionally, the parties intend to use a motion of no confidence to remove the DA’s mayor of Ekurhuleni, Tania Campbell.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash