Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance, Mzi Khumalo, has expressed concerns about instabilities in major Metros and municipalities across the province.
Khumalo was speaking at the Joburg City Council in Braamfontein, where a new mayor was set to be elected.
There have been numerous mayoral changes in recent months in different municipalities in the province since the year started.
The power struggle has been between ANC and DA where the two biggest parties fight to hold on to major metros such as Tshwane, Joburg and Ekurhuleni.
First to go was the DA’s Joburg Mpho Phalatse in January and replaced by Al Jama-ah’s Thapelo Amad who was backed by the ANC and the EFF partnership. This coalition has set itself the goal of removing the DA from power.
In February the City of Tshwane Executive Mayor Randall Williams of the DA resigned amid pressure to step down from opposition parties which accused him of corruption. Williams was replaced by another DA candidate Cilliers Brink on 28 March.
Three days later, in the Ekurhuleni Metro, the council elected African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor Sivuyile Ngodwana. This was after the DA’s Tania Campbell was removed through a motion of no confidence on the same day.
West Rand District Municipality also saw Thabiso Bovungana, of AIC, which has one seat in the municipality, elected as the mayor on 11 April. This after the DA’s Hullet Hild was shown the door.
Two weeks later ATM councillor Molefi Thupane was elected Mayor of the Mogale City Municipality replacing another DA councillor Tyrone Gray.
All these new mayors were elected mostly because of the ANC-EFF alliance and coalition with minority parties to remove the DA.
While noting all these developments in the municipalities, Khumalo on Tuesday said it was time for stability to be prioritized for the sake of service delivery and removing a mayor must be a last resort taken by the council.
“If you ask me I will say there must be a two-year period so we don’t have frequent motions of no confidence. We are developing conflict resolution in council so that we don’t wait until Council members say we don’t want this particular person.
“We are putting in a panel that will draw in experts from different fields, if it is a legal issue we send legal people if it’s a service delivery issue we send relevant people to make sure we mitigate these issues,” he added.
ANC’s former mayor Dada Morero, unknown Kabelo Gwamanda from Al-Jama-ah, ActionSA Gauteng leader Funzi Ngobeni, Cope’s councillor and also Speaker Colleen Makhubele and Mpho Phalatse are some of the names being linked to the Joburg race for mayorship.
Makhubele adjourned the meeting after a series of delays. The next meeting to elect a mayor will take place on Friday.
