ANC leader Eugene Modise elected Tshwane deputy mayor

City of Tshwane MMC for finance and ANC regional chairperson Eugene Modise has been elected as deputy mayor during a council sitting on Friday. 

Modise received an uncontested nomination from health MMC and EFF member Tshegofatso Mashabela. His nomination was seconded by ANC MMC for utility services Frans Boshielo. 

His election comes days after the new mayor, ActionSA's Dr Nasiphi Moya, announced her mayoral committee which included five ANC councillors, two from the EFF and one each from GOOD and ActionSA. 

It follows a fierce battle between the ANC and DA for control of the city. TimesLIVE understands talks between the ANC and the DA collapsed after federal council chair Helen Zille demanded that ousted mayor Cilliers Brink be reinstated. 

The ANC has been moving swiftly to reclaim lost metros and municipalities in Gauteng. It recently took back via a coalition the cities of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. 

Modise's election could mean ActionSA, led by Herman Mashaba, will work with the ANC in other municipalities. 

Mogale City mayor Danny Thupane, who was elected in April 2023 by way of a coalition with the ANC, resigned this week, ensuring the ANC was about to reclaim the city. 

The ANC said Thupane resigned after robust discussions between his party and the leadership of the ANC in the West Rand region.

ANC Gauteng spokesperson Lesego Makhubela said the main point emerging from the discussions was an urgent need to bring stability to the municipality, accelerate service delivery, strengthen revenue collection, bolster the morale of municipal workers, attract investments and return the city to its glory days.

“The ANC in Gauteng, guided by the ANC national coalition framework, will through its structures in the West Rand region meet with all parties represented in the Mogale local municipality council to form a government of local unity,” he said. 

In his augural speech in council, Modise said his acceptance of the position was an affirmation he had an appreciation of the responsibility that came with the role. 

“I arrogantly refuse to wear the lenses of racism when serving Jacaranda City residents. I vehemently refuse to carry a pinch of negativity when carrying out my duties and discharging my responsibility.”

He called on council members and the executive to love one another and to serve the people of Tshwane. He said he would endorse and appreciate the work of Brink's executive, and added the city must make the working environment safe for employees. 

Modise vowed that there would never be a cent of grant funding returned to the National Treasury during his term.

He said capital projects must be closely monitored. He said the newly elected administration would expedite the approval certificates of two state-of-art clinics in Soshanguve and Hammanskraal which were built more than two years ago. 

The city had done a disservice to the people of the two townships, said Modise, adding the clinics must be assets instead of white elephants. 

He said high performance and dedication would be rewarded while mediocrity and corruption would be “amputated”. 

Modise said the city must revive its local airport to ensure residents are able to travel to Cape Town without having to take flights from OR Tambo International Airport. 

“The hallmark of my leadership will be intolerance to destroying crucial assets like the Pretoria show grounds, which is a white elephant. The Tshwane market cannot be left unattended. Joburg is making R1bn a month. This city is making R3m a year. It can't be correct. We cannot be a capital city which cannot manage its refuse.”

TimesLIVE