ANC battles hard to keep Tau on as Salga chief

30 November 2016 - 15:17 By OLEBOGENG MOLATLHWA
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Parks Tau at the state of the city address. File photo
Parks Tau at the state of the city address. File photo
Image: Puxley Makgatho

Former Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau is expected to fight tooth and nail to retain his position as chairman of the SA Local Government Association.

Tau, recently elected president of United Cities and Local Government, which represents more than 1,000 cities around the world, needs the Salga position to hold on to the UCLG presidency.

He has the full backing of the ANC's national executive committee, which wants to maintain the party's grip on the local government sector.

On the first day of Salga's conference yesterday at the Sandton Convention Centre Gauteng premier David Makhura warned municipalities that refusing to work with Salga was "ill-advised".

The warning shot was directed at the DA-controlled Johannesburg, Tshwane and Mogale City, as well as Nelson Mandela Bay , which all fell under DA stewardship after the August 3 municipal elections.

The DA has threatened to withdraw its participation in Salga after the party failed to get its preferred allocation of seats on the body's Gauteng executive and will not contribute financially to the hosting of this week's conference.

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