Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink has hit back at President Cyril Ramaphosa, telling him he should worry about load shedding, land grabs and an economy bleeding jobs, instead of blaming the Democratic Alliance over service delivery in Pretoria.
Brink blamed the national government led by Ramaphosa for creating a strained economic climate, which made it difficult for people and businesses to pay for services.
“Police don’t have the equipment needed to do their job, that's why we see land grabs in townships so the president would rather blame other people than take responsibility,” he said.
He added that the local government depended heavily and largely upon the national government’s performance to function well.
“His comments are made politically, and under pressure,” he said.
Brink responded to Ramaphosa’s criticism that there was no good governance in Tshwane, comments he made while on the election trail for the governing African National Congress during the voter registration drive this past weekend.
[WATCH] My response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s weekend comments on Mamelodi water supply challenges. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/UN5wq7DsBP
— Mayor Cilliers Brink (@tshwane_mayor) February 5, 2024
On Sunday, during the ANC’s campaign trail in Mamelodi, Ramaphosa said there was “no good governance here” blaming the DA for failing to deliver services to the people.
“This is where the DA claims to govern well. However, I have not witnessed effective governance here,” Ramaphosa said. He added that residents of Tshwane, especially in Mamelodi, were facing significant challenges.
Mamelodi residents had complained to the president about service delivery, including water and electricity shortages, filthy streets filled with raw sewage, as well as crime.
The Tshwane metro is under the administration of the DA.
Brink said he was not in Mamelodi for the voter registration weekend like Ramaphosa, instead he was there to respond to the water issues in the area.
On Monday, Brink was on the ground in Region 6 for a bylaw operation led by the Tshwane Metro Police Department Tshwane (TMPD), working in partnership with Gauteng Crime Wardens and South African Police Services.
He also welcomed the TMPD weekend operational successes.
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