Johannesburg - The ANC in Gauteng says the resignation of Tshwane mayor, Randall Williams, was further evidence that the DA has failed to lead Gauteng municipalities.
Williams resigned from his position after adverse findings from the Auditor General concerning the finances of the City of Tshwane.
Williams issued a statement on Monday morning indicating that he would no longer be at the helm of the municipal leadership structure. He said his resignation was in the best interests of the municipality and the stability of the multi-party coalition in the City of Tshwane.
But ANC provincial secretary TK Nciza said the ousting of Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse and the removal of a DA speaker in the City of Ekurhuleni, and now the mayoral resignation in Tshwane, were evidence that the DA had failed to lead municipalities in Gauteng.
“This was unavoidable. They have allowed municipalities that were in the hands of the ANC to collapse under their watch. The finances of these municipalities are a mess, and the City of Ekurhuleni even owes Eskom. In Tshwane, the AG has adverse findings. Johannesburg cannot pay SMMEs; this shows that they cannot lead,” Nciza said.
Nciza said Gauteng residents were exposed to the difference between governance under the DA and governance under the ANC. He said under the DA, residents had struggled to access the most basic services.
“The people have seen for themselves what is happening; they need to fight to ensure that they get the municipalities fixed. The DA is not a holy cow; they have seen that they are corrupt, and the only town they seem to run properly is Cape Town,” he said.
Nciza said there was a plan in motion to work together with like minded political formations, to ensure that the DA is evicted from power in municipalities around Gauteng. He said Johannesburg was on its way to repairing a damaged service delivery flow that was corrupted after the ANC was kicked out of power.
“The ANC is all about ensuring that our people are served; we are not greedy for power, and that is why we are working with minorities to ensure that there is service delivery,” he said.
Nciza said that now that the mayors of Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Pretoria have stepped down, Tania Campbell, the mayor of Ekurhuleni, should do the same to save the municipality.
“It does not make sense what is happening in Ekurhuleni Tania is not leading that is a minority government,” he said.
Meanwhile, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said he was disappointed that his party had to learn about Williams’s resignation from media reports. He said this showed bad faith in terms of coalition politics on the part of the DA. Mashaba said despite Williams’s resignation, ActionSA still wanted a full investigation into the finances of the municipality and any tenders that were questionable.
Notwithstanding the ANC criticism, DA Gauteng Provincial Party leader, Solly Msimanga praised Williams for his work in putting the needs of the residents first in an often turbulent political environment.
“The fact that he is prepared to stand down in order to ensure stability in the Metro speaks volumes of his commitment to the residents as well as the political process,” Msimanga said.
The Star