CAPE TOWN - The Tshwane council re-elected Randall Williams as its mayor unopposed on Tuesday with the opposition party ANC not submitting any candidate for the mayoral position and refusing to vote for the nominated candidates of its rivals.
It was expected that the DA would get a clean sweep after parties like the EFF and ActionSA vowed to vote with the DA to get rid of the ANC.
The inaugural council meeting for the City of Tshwane took place on Tuesday, the day after DA with the help of the EFF and ActionSA took over the metros of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.
All three councillors, Williams, speaker Katlego Mathebe and chief whip Christo van den Heever, were elected unopposed.
“I would like to thank Pretoria’s residents for strengthening our country’s democracy. I accept the role of executive mayor with deep gratitude and humility, and I am encouraged by the faith that has been placed in me to once again lead our great city,” Williams said.
Williams welcomed all councillors elected in the administration, and encouraged them to put people’s interests first.
“This comes with immense responsibility for those who have been voted into office, but it’s also a moment where politically we must take time to humble ourselves. Humility is what we need as we seek to thrust the city forward,” Williams said.
He admitted that there would be occasions when there would be differences, but said this was to be expected in any democratic environment.
“We must not let such occasions derail the work of the administration and lead to instability in our city. To succeed we need to create an environment that is conducive and effective within the administration, that will create accountability and transparency. We all have a part to play as elected councillors, and a collective responsibility as members of political parties to ensure that the Tshwane council delivers on its mandate to the residents of the city,” Williams said.
While some opposition parties congratulated the new leadership, the EFF urged the DA to put poor people’s needs first, especially on the issues of the expropriation of land without compensation, sanitary towels for the poor, water problems in Hammanskraal, electricity, housing, roads and others.
A total of 214 councillors were sworn in in the morning. The ANC had 75 councillors, the DA 69, EFF 23, ActionSA 19, FF+ 17, and the rest were from the small parties.
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba visited Tshwane House to observe the swearing in, and said the plan was that all his 19 councillors would, together with the EFF, vote and ensure the DA got the three big posts.
Mashaba said although they were giving the votes to DA, it was not a gift.
Cape Times