New Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink announces his mayoral committee

31st March 2023 By: News24Wire

 New Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink announces his mayoral committee

Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink

Days after his election, Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink has appointed a mayoral committee to help guide the City's focus on service delivery.

Brink won the mayoral chain on Tuesday with 109 votes against his competitor, Congress of the People (Cope) candidate Ofentse Moalusi, who received 102 votes.

His appointment comes weeks after political squabbling in Tshwane, which pitted the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) against the Democratic Alliance (DA) and its coalition partners. 

The ANC/EFF coalition had initially triumphed with the election of former Cope councillor, Murunwa Makwarela. But Makwarela resigned shortly after amid an insolvency debacle. 

Since February, the City has been without a permanent mayor for longer than a week. The former DA MP, who the party transferred back to the local government to lead Tshwane, previously expressed the urgency to resolve service delivery issues.

News24 previously reported that he favoured a multi-party government and said the coalition was more stable with a majority in the council.  

At a media briefing on Friday, Brink announced the 10 mayoral committee members, including five DA councillors.

The new MMCs are: Kingsley Wakelin (DA) for Corporate and Shared Services, Hannes Coetzee (ActionSA) for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Themba Fosi (DA) for Utilities and Regional Operations, Ziyanda Zwane (IFP) for Environment and Agriculture, Peter Sutton (DA) for Finance, Katlego Mathebe (DA) for Roads and Transport, Grandi Theunissen (FF+) for Community Safety, Peggy de Bruin (Action SA) for Social Development, Ofentse Madzebatela (DA) for Human Settlements and Rina Marx (FF+) for Health.

In a statement, Brink said: "I'm pleased to introduce this strong team of individuals who are fit for purpose, ethical, and ready to serve the people of Tshwane. It's important that we have a competent team that can hit the ground running."

He detailed five of the committee's priorities in the City in addressing these issues, which will "fast track service delivery for all". It includes implementing a "bold" recovery plan that focuses on stabilising the City's finances and reducing unscheduled water and electricity outages. 

The remaining focus areas are improving basic service delivery, such as general cleaning, pothole repairs, and streetlight maintenance. 

Attention will also be given to strengthening the Tshwane Metro Police Department and instilling professionalism through performance management systems.He called on the MMCs, who he described as strong and competent, to maintain "critical oversight" over their departments to ensure success. 

Discussions about the adjustment budget due on 14 April are already under way, with planned budgetary workshops for next week prepared for the candidates.