Protesters from various townships picket at the City's headquarters Tshwane House. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria - The Gauteng government must intervene and place the embattled City of Tshwane under administration again for the interests of the public.
This call was made by picketers who travelled from various townships to the City's headquarters Tshwane House to say "enough was enough" with the politics that affect service delivery.
Members of the United African Transformation party, led by Abel Tau, joined a group of security guards and meter readers who were also protesting outside Tshwane House.
The crowd found it fitting to make the call for the MEC for the Department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, and e-governance, Mzi Khumalo, to evoke Section 139 of the Constitution while council was sitting for the purposes of electing a mayor.
Members of the United African Transformation party, led by Abel Tau, joined a group of security guards and meter readers who were protesting outside Tshwane House, demanding permanent absorption and unpaid three month's salary. @CityTshwane #TshwaneCouncil #tshwanemayor pic.twitter.com/tMuzhrwPwl
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Section 139 empowers a provincial executive to intervene in the affairs of a municipality that cannot or does not fulfil an executive or legislative function in terms of the Constitution.
Tau said the City could not go ahead on auto-pilot anymore since the resignation of former mayor, Randall Williams, which was followed by council disputes when former speaker of council, Dr Murunwa Makwarela, ascended to the position.
Makwarela did not last more than 10 days. He was bust for submitting a fake letter.
According to Tau, service delivery has plunged in the last couple of weeks, and this was even clearer when people in Skierlik Informal Settlement on Monday blocked roads in Mamelodi to complain about service delivery.
"If you look at what the issues are, both politically and administratively, these are issues that cannot be resolved by anyone inside there (Tshwane House) and the parties there.
"I say that on this basis: 1, the DA had to bring a mayoral elect from outside this caucus to show they have no confidence that they have someone with the capacity to lead this City. 2, the R10 billion irregular expenditure highlighted in the damning report by the Auditor-General demonstrates there is a problem, but the (former) MMC for Finance, Peter Sutton, is vying to be a mayor and he is not even being overlooked. 3, the incumbent mayor is an architect of that GladAfrica scandal. You cannot see anything positive from that front," said Tau.
Pretoria News