WATCH | ‘I will not abandon you’: Brink vows to provide effective opposition after his removal

Former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has committed to being part of an effective opposition after being removed from his position on Thursday.

Brink was voted out in a motion of no confidence by the ANC, EFF, ActionSA, PA and other minority parties which saw 120 council members voting to remove him and 87 voting against.

“To the residents of Tshwane, I want to tell you I will not abandon you and the DA will not abandon you. We are staying in the city. In these difficult circumstances we will play the role of an effective opposition. That is my commitment to you,” he said.

In an interview after his removal Brink expressed disappointment.

“I will look at three things in particular. They can't screw up what we have done on Hammanskraal water; we'll keep a close eye on that and ensuring the people of Hammanskraal get clean water in their taps and knock out the water tanker business.

“The second important thing is we are going to make sure they don't bully or go after senior officials who are not politically aligned. Third, we'll make sure the disciplinary processes regarding the five Rooiwal officials who are close to the ANC are not withdrawn,” he said in an interview with eNCA.

“We have a significant role to play to make sure the city doesn't collapse. It is baffling what the ANC has done here; these are clearly the anti-government of national unity (GNU) forces. These are the people who don't want the GNU to succeed and they seem to hold the balance of power in the ANC in Gauteng.

“They don't have a clear plan but they are going to depend on the EFF and that's a bad sign for the city. Our job is to make sure they don't cause damage and we'll meet them in 2026.”

Asked whether he would consider working with the ANC in the mayoral committee in Tshwane, he was certain the ANC would not want to work with the DA.

“It's bizarre that the ANC, despite repeated attempts to get them to withdraw the motion of no confidence, would behave in the way they did and suddenly want to work with us. Was what they said in council true or not? If it's not true, why did they go ahead with the motion of no confidence despite repeated attempts to persuade them not to do so?

“I have not had any gesture of good faith from the ANC. They looked happy with the EFF and ActionSA. I'm not sure what the future holds for the city but we will act in the best interest of residents. It's not about me; it's about the residents of Tshwane and having a functioning metro.”

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