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The Freedom Front Plus received information that the Mayor of the Tshwane metro council, Dr. Gwen Ramokgopa, was temporarily suspended from her position. The City Manager, Kiba Kekana as well as members of the Mayoral Committee, including MMC's Absolom Ditshoke and Zodwa Masondo, were also suspended.

The Freedom Front Plus yesterday demanded in a statement that the Mayor and her Committee should be removed due to a lack of service delivery and the financial crisis into which the city was dumped by the Mayor and her Committee.

According to Dr. Conrad Beyers, FF Plus councillor, the FF Plus has expected this development seeing that there has been considerable unhappiness within ANC-ranks about Ramokgopa (a ‘Mbeki-appointment') for a long time.

"The FF Plus welcomes the reports, but is concerned about the fact that one incompetent ANC Mayor will simply be replaced by another ANC appointment. Although any change at the moment will be an improvement, the FF Plus will only be content when a coalition of opposition parties appoint their own Mayor after the coming municipal elections," Beyers said.

Earlier a report by the independent rating company, Empowerdex, found that the Tshwane metro council does not deliver basic services to about a quarter (23.8%) of its residents. Such services include access to housing, tap water, sanitation, garbage removal and electricity.

Pretoria is also highlighted in the report as the worst South African city to live in due to a lack of service delivery. "A continuation of the current bad management will lead to a total collapse of the municipality. This will result in further unrest and violence that may even derail the 2010 FIFA World Cup."

The FF Plus is sceptical about the ANC's capability to turn around the city's fortunes. Under ANC control, numerous problems were created, including:

· The collapse of the city's finances due to bad management and spendthrift;
· The absence of law enforcement on roads, with taxi's being allowed to break the law as they please;
· Growth of squatter camps in established residential areas;
· Polarisation of the city's population through one-sided name changes, while the majority of the city's residents live in streets without names;
· Political interference in the city administration by appointing ANC loyalists in key positions, with the resulting outflow of expertise.