As the Tshwane municipal council gathers to elect a mayor to replace Cilliers Brink, IOL understands that Dr Nasiphi Moya of ActionSA is one step away from being elected in a motion backed by the African National Congress (ANC).
According to media reports on Wednesday morning, ActionSA led by business tycoon Herman Mashaba has managed to convince the the ANC to let Moya, who was Brink’s deputy and is currently acting mayor, have the coveted mayoral chain.
When Mashaba decided to work with the ANC in Gauteng, IOL reported that he insisted that he wanted Moya to take over the reins.
IOL reported on Tuesday that meeting were being held by the ANC, into the night, to settle for a candidate ahead of the crunch council vote.
Mbalula told journalists at a press conference at the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters that they were still engaging with all political parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA) on who should run the city.
He also outlined the outcomes of the ANC National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Monday, adding that they were still assessing the risks ahead of the final decision.
“We are going to discuss now, I am meeting with Tshwane and Gauteng leaders to finalise this. They will give me a report, we don't take decisions for structures. They bring decisions and we process them,” Mbalula said at the time.
IOL also reported on Tuesday that the Tshwane Council is sitting on Wednesday to elect a new mayor, following the unceremonious ousting of Cilliers Brink last month. The council vote is expected to happen after 10am.
Meanwhile, the Lotus Gardens, Atteridgeville and Saulsville Civic Association (Lasca) representing some residents in Tshwane has criticised the performance of the Democratic Alliance (DA) which has been at the helm of the metro since 2016.
The DA has had successive mayors running Tshwane from 2016, except for a brief period in 2023 when Congress of the People’s (Cope) Dr Murunwa Makwarela took over the mayoral chain.
He was quickly ousted after allegations emerged that he submitted a fake court rehabilitation certificate to Tshwane, in a bid to prove that he was no longer insolvent.
IOL