Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink is sticking to his guns with respect to a decision he made in March not to head to either Parliament or Gauteng legislature post the general election.
His determination to remain at the helm of the municipality was despite having received the nod to become either an MP or Gauteng MPL in line with the DA’s candidate selection process.
In March Brink maintained that his decision to continue as the executive mayor was so that he can finish what the multiparty coalition has started in Tshwane.
At the time he posted in X:“Big announcement. I’m staying on as mayor of Tshwane. To finish what we started as a coalition: restore the finances, build energy independence and improve services. In the face of cadres, tenderpreneurs, and everyone else who would prefer Joburg-like leadership in Tshwane.”
He resigned as MP last year to assume the mayoral position, succeeding the late Congress of the People’s councillor Dr Murunwa Makwarela.
This week, Brink reiterated his decision to stay put as Tshwane mayor through his spokesperson Sipho Stuurman.
“Media colleagues please note regarding parliamentary enquiries. Councillor Cilliers Brink once again affirms that he is staying on as a councillor and the Executive Mayor in the City of Tshwane, as long as he has the confidence of the DA and the mutli-party coalition. He will not be taking up a seat in Parliament or the Gauteng provincial legislature,”Stuurman said.
Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga has previously stated that Brink will not take up a seat as MP or MPL.
“Brink has made it clear that he regards the stability of the Tshwane multi-party coalition of critical importance, not just for the capital city, but for the country,” he said.
During his recent state of the capital address, Brink talked about the importance of securing 1 000 MW of energy independence from Eskom by 2026.
“In January 2024, Council approved the report giving permission to proceed with the 40-year lease of Rooiwal power station and Pretoria west power station after we received overwhelming support from the public,”he said.
Under his watch the City continues to have a revenue-collection campaign called #TshwaneYaTima in a bid to collect R6 billion of the municipality’s R23,3 billion debtors’ book.
Pretoria News