Tshwane metro row hots up as DA-led coalition regains majority

The fight over who will govern Tshwane has heated up as the DA-led coalition works on regaining the majority vote and hopes councillors will not betray it again. 

Tshwane residents have not had a mayor since March 10 when COPE’s Murunwa Makwarela resigned after a scandal over a fake insolvency certificate.

Two special council meetings set up since then have failed due to political tensions.  

On Wednesday, speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana adjourned the meeting for a legal consultation about Makwarela’s replacement, COPE’s Thabang Sefanyetso, whose vetting status was under scrutiny from members of his own party.  On Friday, COPE’s chair said Sefanyetso had two different identity documents and also had a criminal record, which was apparently linked to a traffic violation.

Ndzwanana adjourned Wednesday’s meeting without the election of a mayor and asked for time to consult the metro’s legal office on whether to declare a vacancy for COPE’s only councillor. He said this was to stop COPE’s infighting from interfering with council meetings.

DA councillor Jacqui Uys said the DA-led coalition submitted a petition signed by 108 councillors requesting a special mayoral  election meeting on Friday. 

“The adjournment of the meeting was illegal. We need to elect the mayor as soon as possible and we are hoping this will be done on Friday.”  

Uys said delays were at the expense of Tshwane’s residents. 

Despite the DA’s petition for an urgent meeting, the speaker’s office spokesperson, Vanessa de Sousa, said Ndzwanana had decided the election would be on Tuesday. 

The DA-coalition wants Ndzwanana removed from his position. 

Uys said the coalition also submitted a petition for another special council meeting for a  vote of no confidence in Ndzwanana on Friday. 

“This is necessary to remove the ANC and EFF grasp on the City of Tshwane. The multiparty coalition remains sensitive to the residents of Tshwane who look on these affairs with despair when they need stable and resident-centric leadership,” DA-coalition spokesperson Cornè Mulder said. 

The ANC-EFF coalition has not yet announced a mayoral candidate.  

The DA-led coalition now has 108 votes, which is the majority. The ANC and EFF have 98 votes, but with minority parties it could be 106. 

In the previous mayoral election, the ANC-EFF coalition won after councillors from the DA coalition voted with them. 

ActionSA expelled two councillors for voting with the ANC-EFF. 

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