Tshwane - The opposition in Tshwane council, the African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday revived its bid to remove mayor Solly Msimanga of the Democratic Alliance (DA) through a motion of no confidence.
The ANC, which is the ruling party nationally but lost control of Tshwane in 2016, said it had lobbied councillors from other parties, and wanted the motion to proceed via secret ballot.
"We have now put forward a second motion, for the first council that will happen today," ANC Tshwane regional chairperson Kgosi Maepa told journalists ahead of a council sitting.
"We have covered our ground. We are now using the affidavit that was written by the city manager to the mayor. This affidavit is shocking. The city manager explains in detail, how the mayor knew, as early as May 2017, about the scandal of GladAfrica. We now have a sworn affidavit from the city manager."
Maepa said the ANC had also lobbied DA council members.
"We know there are members of the DA who strongly feel, after evidence was produced, that Solly is indeed very corrupt. Members of the DA strongly feel that Solly is a liar, and he is bringing the DA into disrepute," said Maepa.
The ANC chairperson said the party was reviving a motion of no confidence filed in August but not presented due to a collapsed council sitting as a result of a walk-out and lack of a quorum.
On August 30, ANC councillors walked out of the Tshwane council chambers, vowing to join the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) -- which is in a shaky governing alliance with the DA -- in a court big to force speaker Rachel Mathebe to allow a motion against the embattled Msimanga.
Mathebe had ruled that the motion by the EFF did not comply with council rules.