The DA in Tshwane submitted a motion of no confidence against the Speaker of the Tshwane Council Mncedi Ndzwanana, with the party framing it as a crucial battle for accountability and governance.

DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the move transcends partisan politics. It follows a recent High Court judgment which concluded that Ndzwanana had acted unlawfully during a Council vote.

"This motion of no confidence is not about politics. It is about accountability. It is about protecting the public purse, defending the integrity of Council, and ensuring that the Office of the Speaker cannot be abused to advance corrupt interests," Brink said.

According to Brink, the Speaker deducted 13 votes from the Council’s recorded total, an action the DA claims effectively rigged the outcome of the proceedings.

This enabled the suspension of Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler, a move Brink said was a calculated attempt by the ANC-EFF-ActionSA coalition to "seize control of the City’s administration and finances".

The DA successfully challenged the suspension in court.

"We protected Tshwane’s administration, its finances, and, ultimately, its residents from an unlawful attempt to capture the City," Brink said.

Despite the court ruling in the DA's favour, he expressed concern that Ndzwanana remains in office.

He said the Speaker's unlawful conduct has already burdened Tshwane’s ratepayers with unnecessary legal fees.

Furthermore, Brink argued that the incident demonstrates Ndzwanana’s willingness to abuse his impartial office to serve the political interests of the ANC-EFF-ActionSA coalition.

Leaving him in power, Brink warned, poses an immediate threat to the municipality.

The political manoeuvring comes at a critical time, with local government elections just three months away.

Brink warned that the "coalition of corruption" still has ample time to use a "lawless Speaker" to manipulate Council proceedings before residents head to the polls.

The party fears that if Ndzwanana remains in his seat, the coalition could force through long-term financial decisions that will bind the incoming administration, weaken the metro's institutions, and further strain Tshwane's fragile finances.

"The coalition must not be allowed to use the Office of the Speaker to mortgage Tshwane’s future during its final months in office," Brink said.

"Residents deserve the opportunity to elect a new government in November without inheriting the consequences of corruption."

LACK OF SINCERITY 

Meanwhile, ActionSA hit back at the DA, labelling its motion of no confidence against the Tshwane Council Speaker a political stunt rather than a genuine attempt at accountability.

Speaking on the party's stance, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont revealed that while the party has not formally discussed the motion, it is highly unlikely to back it.

Beaumont stated that ActionSA traditionally opposes motions of no confidence unless a credible alternative candidate is ready to fill the vacancy.

With less than three months left in the current council term, Beaumont questioned the timing and sincerity of the DA's move.

"The DA is going to have a hard time demonstrating that this motion of no confidence is anything other than just another gimmick in a long line of gimmicks from a party that has no positive track record to show for its eight years in office," Beaumont said.

While Beaumont acknowledged that the Speaker’s conduct remains an "undeniable problem", he noted ActionSA's own battles with the office bearer.

In 2023, ActionSA successfully dragged the Speaker to court after he refused to table a motion of no confidence against himself.

However, Beaumont pointed out the irony of the DA’s current outrage, noting that the Speaker originally assumed office under the DA’s watch in Tshwane.

According to Beaumont, DA councillors intentionally spoilt their ballots at the time to block an ActionSA candidate from taking the seat, violating a standing coalition agreement.

When questioned whether the broader coalition’s attempt to remove Mettler was a politically motivated manoeuvre rather than a lawful administrative process, Beaumont urged caution.

He clarified that the courts have not yet ruled on the actual merits of the allegations against Mettler.

Instead, Beaumont noted that the legal proceedings focused strictly on the narrow issue of Mettler's suspension, which ActionSA voted against.

“It would be premature to pronounce upon the credibility of the charges," Beaumont said, adding that an internal council investigation is still underway. "At the appropriate time, ActionSA will do so, and as demonstrated on the suspension vote, we will do so without fear or favour."

Beaumont launched a critique against the DA's political rhetoric, dismissing their frequent use of the phrase "coalition of corruption" as a self-serving media construct.

"It is a DA construct to cast itself as the hero and everyone else as the villain," Beaumont argued.

To counter the DA's clean-governance narrative, the ActionSA chairperson highlighted controversial governance failures during the DA's tenure in Tshwane, including, the worsening of Tshwane’s financial audit outcomes under DA leadership and the awarding of a botched R296-million tender to businessman Edwin Sodi, which prolonged the Hammanskraal water crisis and contributed to the 2023 cholera outbreak that claimed 31 lives.

He also noted an alleged attempt by the DA to push through an unsolicited R26-billion energy deal, which reportedly included a controversial "finder’s fee" linked to the then DA mayor.