Pretoria - The City of Tshwane has introduced two new members of executive mayor Stevens Mokgalapa’s executive.
They replace Human Settlements Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) Mandla Nkomo, who resigned, and his Shared and Corporative Services counterpart Cilliers Brink, who was deployed by the DA to Parliament.
Richard Moheta, who was MMC for Agriculture and Environment Management, will replace Brink. His position will be taken by newcomer Dana Wannenburg.
Nkomo, who served his last day in office on June 30, will be replaced by DA councillor Sello Maimane.
The DA-led administration described Nkomo as one of the bravest leaders, who quelled unrest in Mahube Valley during the fight between shack dwellers and inhabitants of loan houses.
Opposition parties, on the other hand, chastised him for poor performance since 2016.
He was part of former mayor Solly Msimanga’s executive. Mokgalapa retained him when he took over in February.
ANC chief whip Aaron Maluleka accused Nkomo of leaving behind a bleak picture of the department that failed to address the housing backlog.
He said the opposition was disappointed that Nkomo had failed to turn the situation around in the department for the past three years.
“Three years is enough for people to learn,” he said.
However, Maluleka said there were times when Nkomo would be of good assistance to him, especially through their working together in his region.
EFF regional leader Moafrika Mabogwana criticised Nkomo for leaving a department that didn’t spend its budget at all.
“There is a need to formalise the informal settlements so that our people don’t come to live on the streets and be killed. We felt like you were misplaced in that department,” he said.
DA regional leader Abel Tau said Nkomo was one of the bravest leaders in the party
“We saw him in nyalas from time to time. When things were happening in Mahube Valley he introduced a phrase of ‘stop nonsense’ and nonsense was really stopped in Mamelodi,” he said.