The of the City of Tshwane has attributed its early positive outlook to mutual respect and cooperation between the parties that constitute the current ANC-led coalition government which includes the Economic Freedom Fighters and Action SA.
On Monday Mayor Nasiphi Moya, a deployee of Action SA presented an update on progress made in the first hundred days since taking office and said among others that the metro’s finances were becoming stable.
The city has been operating with a deficit for about 8 years under DA rule and the new administration said it would spare no effort in addressing that.
The previous administration led by the DA was notorious for only providing services to affluent areas where its constituents (mainly white) reside resulting in decay in the black townships that were already plagued by lack of housing and poverty in general.
Action SA Leader Herman Mashaba who quit the DA in 2019 over alleged refusal by the party to let the City of Joburg which he had been mayor of for three years, to attend to service delivery needs of black communities arguing they did not vote for it, was at the centre of accusations that the DA administration in Tshwane which span for 8 years had been marginalising communities it perceived as not having voted for the party.
Mashaba attended Monday’s briefing and expressed happiness that there were no differences in the current administration about priorities.
“I always thought this coalition will work but even me I did not think things will improve this fast. What is more pleasing is that the coalition partners are working well together and have one common goal, to serve communities, all communities, all of the city’s 4 million residents,” said Mashaba in an interview with Newsnote.
EFF Tshwane Regional Chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu who serves as the Mayoral Committee Member responsible for the Environment said the almost a decade political instability had resulted in administrators in the city gaining more influence, power he said was at times misused.
Ramabodu said along with improving service delivery, the current coalition also had to restore systems to eliminate overlapping of roles between politicians and those employed in the administration.
“Whether is the city manager or CFO we hold them accountable and this should not be seen as being against them. We are a political party and have to do our work. Over the years the administrators have been meddling in activities that are the terrain of politicians and that nonsense had to end. Administrators have to stick to their work which they are paid a lot of money in salaries for and not try to be politicians,” said Ramabodu on the sidelines of the briefing.
While the new coalition celebrated early successes, the former governing party and now opposition DA, slammed the new administration alleging that among others it was failing to address the Hamanskraal water crisis as well as canning a process of bringing in Independent Power Producers that was initiated by its fallen administration.
“Hammanskraal clean water project have no water. DA’s Themba Fosi spoke to some of them today. More about this to follow. Plans put in place by DA to revive mothballed city power stations with IPPs shelved. This week councillors were told city has run out of materials for road repairs. To claim credit for the work of your predecessor is easy. To deliver (and sustain delivery) is hard,” said former Mayor Cilliers Brink who is now leader of the opposition in the council.
The ANC is also leading relatively stable coalitions in the cities of Joburg and Ekurhuleni as well as in several local municipalities after unseating the DA with the help of smaller parties.
Mashaba hit back accusing Brink of being power hungry and jealous of his successor.
“Brink can’t still believe that he is longer the Mayor. His party had assured him of the position, using their leverage in the GNU, now they have dropped him for the Blue Lights. Mayor Nasiphi Moya is happy to engage you as leader of opposition, where you belong,” said Mashaba.
