The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng on Monday commended the provincial government for taking decisive steps to urgently intervene in issues at the City of Tshwane and City of Johannesburg metropolitan municipalities.

ANC Gauteng head of communications Bones Modise explained that the intervention and support was aimed at ensuring that there was stability of municipal governance in both metropoles.

Last week Tshwane Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa was put on leave following a scandal involving an improper relationship with a member of his mayor committee.

The City of Johannesburg, meanwhile, received a new mayor, Geoff Makhubo, after former mayor Herman Mashaba, announced his resignation.

Last week Gauteng Human Settlements, Urban Planning and Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile announced that the Gauteng provincial government would intervene in the City of Tshwane and seek legislation through the National Council of Provinces to regulate coalition government agreements.

“In the City of Tshwane things have moved from bad to worse as the municipality has been operating on auto pilot for some time effectively without an executive mayor or a city manager,” said Modise.

The ANC says the country’s capital city finds itself in disarray, beginning with the recalling of Solly Msimanga as executive mayor in January 2019 by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and his replacement with Stevens Mokgalapa, which the party said did not result in any tangible service delivery improvements.

“In Joburg the municipality was left leaderless when Mashaba finally called it quits, but not before he slated the arrogant DA for sabotaging service delivery and accusing the party of never really caring about the needs of the poor,” highlighted Modise.

Meanwhile, he said the ANC was committed to restoring the dignity of the most vulnerable in society by reinstating access to basic services to residents of the city.

Modise explained that the ANC had mandated Makhubo, his newly appointed mayoral committee members and the coalition partners in council ­– the Patriotic Alliance, African Independent Congress, Aljamah, the Congress of the People, United Democratic Movement and Inkatha Freedom Party – to put the interest of the people of Johannesburg first and to work with all parties in council to address the challenges confronting the municipality.