Pretoria - The City of Tshwane could soon have its first deputy mayor since its inception 23 years ago should the multiparty coalition partners in the metro have it their way during an ordinary council sitting on Thursday.
Coalition partners that are expected to support a proposal to usher in a deputy mayor include ActionSA, IFP, DA, FF-Plus and ACDP.
In terms of the coalition bloc agreement, the position of deputy to DA mayor Cilliers Brink would be occupied by an ActionSA councillor, who has yet to be named.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont told the Pretoria News yesterday that it was true that a proposal would be made to introduce a deputy mayoral position in Tshwane.
He said: “It is true and the proposal is informed by the decision of the multi-party coalition to establish the position to deepen co-governance and power sharing with a view to producing more stable coalitions in which all political parties are invested in the programme of service delivery.”
He added that it was in the position of provincial and national Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs departments “that deputy mayors are important to stabilising coalitions”.
Asked when the proposal would be tabled in council, he said: “I believe the proposal will be made at this meeting on Thursday.”
As part of the multi-party coalition pact on December 15, 2021, Beaumont said ActionSA would nominate a candidate for the position.
“ActionSA has not yet given consideration to the individual to be nominated given that the process to establish the position will take time and involves the Gauteng provincial government,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EFF in Tshwane has criticised the impending move to install a deputy mayor, saying it was a “ludicrous and costly proposal”.
Regional party leader Obakeng Ramabodu said the proposal was likely to be put forward by the DA and its coalition partners to appease ActionSA.
“In the typical fashion of a low-self-esteem lover who begs the allegiance of a partner through gifts and other expensive items, the DA has gone as far as to create a position of a deputy mayor to keep ActionSA happy in this ineffective marriage of convenience,” Ramabodu said.
He said the City’s financial position “does not resonate with the superfluous position of deputy mayor, which will cost the city R4 million per annum, estimated at over R10m over the remainder of the current term of administration”.
“The EFF in Tshwane, unlike the deranged and hypnotised mayoral committee, is vehemently opposed to the idea of creating a deputy mayor position to gratify the lame duck ActionSA, who like child crying for a lollipop, is demanding a position from their political masters, the DA,” he said.
The party called on MEC of local government Mzi Khumalo not to support the proposal.
DA Tshwane caucus chairperson Jacqui Uys didn’t respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Pretoria News