The multi-party coalition said it will on Thursday submit court papers relating to City of Tshwane Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana for refusing to allow a motion of no confidence to be considered in the council on Monday.

Ndzwanana, an African Transformation Movement councillor, was elected on March 14 and his election was supported by the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). 

The coalition, consisting of the Democratic Alliance, ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, Inkatha Freedom Party and the African Christian Democratic Party, does not believe Ndzwanana is fit for the job and wants him removed.

The coalition said their legal teams were making progress with the court papers.

On Tuesday, the coalition took back leadership of the City of Tshwane following the successful election of its mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink. 

The city has been without a mayor since March 10 following the resignation of Murunwa Makwarela after he faked a court insolvency rehabilitation certificate.

The coalition partners said the past few weeks had been a display of instability after the ANC and EFF sought to undermine the majority vote of the political parties that constitute the City’s multi-party coalition.

“This time has seen the agenda of the residents of Tshwane trampled on by those who sought to steal control of the City of Tshwane and this must be corrected,” explained the multi-party coalition.

This was the fourth attempt by the council to elect a mayor after three previous council meetings collapsed for various reasons without a vote being cast.

The multi-party coalition called on Brink to ensure that the service delivery agenda of the residents was placed at the forefront of the council agenda.

“For this to happen the mayoral committee needs to be appointed and work must begin immediately to ensure that a service delivery budget is brought to council and that work begins immediately on improving governance in the city,” said the coalition.

The multi-party coalition said it had acted in a unified manner since the election of Makwarela as mayor in February.

“Parties have worked together, never losing focus on the need to ensure that the majority awarded to our coalition, by the voters, is restored in council.”