ActionSA councilor and former deputy mayor Nasifi Moya has been elected by secret ballot as the new mayor of Tshwane. (Photo by Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images, Getty Images)
ActionSA councilor and former deputy mayor Nasifi Moya has been elected by secret ballot as the new mayor of Tshwane.
Moya received 122 votes, ahead of former Mayor Cilliers Brink, who received 86 of the 208 votes cast Wednesday. There were no tainted votes.
Mr Moya's election is supported by the ANC, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Action SA coalition, which together hold more than 110 seats in the 214-seat Tshwane City Council.
Early on Wednesday, the ANC announced it would honor the agreement between the two parties to form a coalition government in Johannesburg and similar metropolitan areas and support Mayor ActionSA.
The deal led to Mr Brink's removal from office last month through a no-confidence motion proposed by the ANC. His resignation follows the election of Dada Morello as mayor of Johannesburg, which marks the first time ActionSA and the ANC have joined forces since the formation of the smaller party in 2020 under the leadership of Herman Mashaba. This was the first cooperation between the two countries.
“The issue needs to be resolved after extensive work on candidate qualifications and tight deadlines. The ANC has agreed to support the candidacy of the current acting mayor and city councilor Dr Nasifi Moya.” the ANC said in a statement.
Mr Moya served as deputy mayor in the DA-led Tshwane multiparty government before being appointed mayor by ANC Tshwane regional chairman Eugene Modise.
Her nomination was supported by EFF and Pan-Africanist Congress councilors, who called for “change” during the proceedings.
“To all the residents of Tshwane, please hear me loud and clear. I have not forgotten the insecurity and political instability plaguing our city,” Moya said in her acceptance speech on Wednesday.
She vowed to bring stability to the city of Tshwane.
“To the people of Soshonguve, Hammanskraal, Mamelodi, Centurion, Bronkhorstspruit, Garankwa, Linwood, Kamerdrift, Waterkloof, Irene, Sokhulmi and everyone in between, I want to know that I am neither the mayor nor the mayor of ActionSA. “I would like to convey this to mayors of other parties for that matter,” she said.
During the board meeting, the African Christian Democratic Party expressed support for Ms Moya, acknowledging that the ANC supported her election while calling for transparency during her term.
Freedom Front Plus warned that Moya would face challenges, including more than 1,000 unresolved forensic investigations, and stressed the need for accountability.
“You're inheriting a lot of problems. We've heard a lot of threats that officials will be removed. We want to make sure we're getting rid of talented people. Over 1,000. There is a forensic order and we will see if they keep their promise to hold them accountable,” the party said.
“We are and will continue to be an informed opposition party as we are aware that there are members of parliament who owe more than R2 million. We will ask you to go through a vetting process to do so.”
Mr Moya's selection comes despite an ultimatum given to the ANC by Democratic Alliance Federal Committee Chair Helen Zille, which said it would face a breakdown in relations between the two parties at council level if it did not reinstate Mr Brink. It was done regardless.
