Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink.[Picture: Deaan Vivier/Gallo Images/Beeld]
As Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink braces for a critical no confidence vote next Thursday, he is taking a stand to defend the achievements of his administration since taking office.
In a recent television interview, Brink asserted that his DA-led administration had made progress – contrary to claims made by coalition partner-turned-nemesis ActionSA.
“We’ve made considerable progress as a multiparty coalition,” he said in an interview on Newzroom Afrika yesterday.
“We’ve improved the finances of the city, the audit outcome; we’ve recruited a new top management, they are steadily changing the organisational culture. We have devised a credible solution for the decades-long problem of Hammanskraal water.”
This progress, he said, was jeopardised by ActionSA’s decision to abandon their coalition agreement. “What ActionSA has done, reneging on the agreement, attacking their own coalition partners, risks wiping out that progress,” he stated.
Brink acknowledged that while the City of Tshwane faces challenges, the purpose of governance is to tackle these issues head-on.
“Things aren’t perfect, but that’s exactly why you’re in government. You’re not here to be hand-wringing victims of circumstance; you’re here to take responsibility for fixing things,” he said.
As Brink prepares for the vote of no confidence, he remains hopeful that “steady and reasonable folks will prevail,” aiming to preserve the advancements his administration has made.
Meanwhile, contestations have been aired publicly as the spat between Herman Mashaba, ActionSA’s leader, and Brink played out on X. In a recent post, Mashaba accused the DA of intending to work with the ANC behind their backs.
