RAPULA MOATSHE
Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink yesterday came under stinging criticism for being bent on seeing through “a deal” with ActionSA to appoint a deputy executive mayor while the cash-strapped municipality was struggling to pay workers’ salary increases.
In a contentious report tabled during a council sitting yesterday, Brink proposed a move to create a first-ever position of a deputy mayor in the City of Tshwane.
The report was passed by council in the face of opposition by political parties such as the ANC, EFF, Patriotic Alliance, Congress of the People and Good Party.
Parties out of favour with the move cited the city’s ailing finances as a reason why they thought the metro won’t be in a position to afford the deal to have an ActionSA councillor taking the reins as deputy mayor.
They also questioned the motive by Brink and the DA’s coalition partners, which include ActionSA, FF-Plus and ACDP for prioritising the lucrative post over addressing the city’s labour impasse with the unions and service delivery challenges.
ActionSA was expected to table an urgent motion compelling Brink and city manager Johann Mettler to meet with the workers unions, but it withdrew the motion.
Party caucus leader, Jackie Mathabathe, said the withdrawal was informed by a recent television interview with Brink who expressed “willingness to meet with the unions”.
“ActionSA believes that this forthcoming meeting will serve as a powerful platform for constructive discussions and enabling all parties to address legitimate concerns of the workers and collaborate with them towards finding a lasting solution to end the ongoing strike,”he said.
Regarding the deputy mayor’s position, ANC caucus chief whip Aaron Maluleke claimed it would cost the city about R5 million extra “that we didn’t budget in the main budget of 2023/2024 financial year”.
The ANC refused to support the report, saying a deputy mayor position would come with additional administrative burden.
Maluleke suggested that the city should rather prioritise workers’ payments and its financial recovery.
He slammed Brink’s administration for being preoccupied with making sure that its coalition members get a fair share of what comes with benefits of government.
EFF regional Tshwane leader Obakeng Ramabodu, on the other hand, said: “Shame on you (Brink), you are taking R40 million from the people of Tshwane for votes so that you can protect your coalition with ActionSA.
“You are going to spend R40m in the next three years for the deputy mayor. Unless a deputy mayor won’t have a blue light and just be an ordinary person and won’t have any support in the office (then) we will accept (the proposal).”
In justifying the proposal, Brink said: “One of the benefits of having a deputy mayor is that in the event of the resignation, the death or the removal of the mayor there is a measure of continuity in respect of a deputy mayor.”
He said it was untrue that by electing the deputy mayor the city would preclude itself from addressing service delivery issues such as roads and bridges in Olievenhoutbosch and the problem of water and electricity.
He also dismissed the assertion that it would cost the city in the region of R5m to set up the deputy mayor’s office.
“In fact the mayoral committee was concerned about the potential financial impact of appointing a deputy executive mayor. And, so specific measures are being made to mitigate the additional costs,” he said.
The deputy mayor position, he said, would be occupied by one of the members of the mayoral committee and that “any support staff that will be recruited will be within the limit of what has already been budgeted for in terms of plan”.
The next step before the appointment, he said, would be to seek concurrence from the Gauteng MEC for local government who must exercise his powers “in terms of the Municipal Systems Act”.
The EFF vowed to write a letter to the MEC, asking him to reject the proposal.
Pretoria News