Johannesburg - The South African Civic Organisation (Sanco) says it is pleased with Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba's resignation as he often placed party politics above the needs of residents.
Mashaba resigned as a member of the DA and mayor of Joburg on Monday. He will officially step-down on November 27 to allow for a successor to be chosen.
He cited former Western Cape premier Helen Zille's election as DA federal chairperson, at the weekend, as signalling a win for a faction within the DA he did not share values with.
Sanco said just like the DA Mashaba did not place the needs of residents first.
Our branches in Johannesburg have constantly warned of the nature of Mashaba and the Democratic Alliance (DA) administration that has chosen to blame the poor for their problems and constantly place party politics above the needs of Johannesburg communities," the organisation said in a statement on Tuesday.
The organisation, which is in an alliance with the ANC, said Mashaba's departure proves that governance should be separated from politics.
"Indeed, Mashaba’s conduct, however, misplaced has reinforced the view of SANCO that it is imperative that the influence of politics, particularly party politics, is removed from governance at the local government level. The separation of party and state on a geo-political level is much deeper in national and provincial spheres, however at local government, there has to be a focused, concerted and consistent effort to ensure that party politics does not enter the discourse," Sanco said.