Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga announced his resignation on Friday.

Msimanga told reporters in Johannesburg that he was stepping down as Executive Mayor of Tshwane to solely focus on his role as the Democratic Alliance’s candidate for the Premier of Gauteng post.

Msimanga said his resignation would be finalised in the first two weeks of next month.

“Today, I announce my decision to resign as the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane. My resignation will be finalised within the first two weeks of February. Up until the last hour, I will continue serving the people of Tshwane and putting their needs first,” said Msimanga.

“This decision was not made lightly or hastily, and I have done so because I believe it best serves the interests of the people of Tshwane, and Gauteng as a whole. Having led the multi-party coalition government in the City for the past two years I have seen first-hand the very devastating effects of [African National Congress] ANC corruption and mismanagement of the country’s cities and towns. When I took office, Tshwane was effectively bankrupt and was being used as an ATM for corrupt activities, which robbed the people of a chance to live a life of dignity.”