Political parties have reacted to the resignation of former Tshwane mayor Randall Williams, saying they reject the reasons he has provided, and that relentless pressure forced him to “axe himself”.
Williams announced his resignation on Monday, citing his desire to not see the “political instability that has taken place in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni spill over into Tshwane” as his reason.
ANC Tshwane regional secretary George Matjila told TimesLIVE Premium they welcomed the resignation and that the party felt vindicated after pinpointing dissatisfaction at Williams’s failures at governing the capital city.
“We are extremely excited and feel vindicated. In the townships there are no services at all. There was piling pressure. Under his tenure the city received a bad audit, there is R10bn that cannot be accounted for, R1.4bn that is owed to Eskom, over R1bn owed to Rand Water, resulting in him being unable to provide services to our people.
“The reasons he is putting forth of bowing out to restore peace in the coalition are untrue. It’s the pressure and nothing else.”
Matjila said there have been talks with parties [IFP, PAC, The Republican Party, among others] represented in council and there is a view that the next mayor should not come from the DA.
“We do not believe the DA has the capacity, commitment and willingness to address the problems of our people. Townships are neglected, there are no basic services, the finances are in critical condition and the city is collapsing under their watch,” said Matjila.
We do not believe the DA has the capacity, commitment and willingness to address the problems of our people.
— ANC Tshwane regional secretary George Matjila
The regional secretary said after approaching ActionSA members in the coalition with the DA, there was a general sense of dissatisfaction with Randall’s performance.
“Maybe they were bound by the position taken by party leader Herman Mashaba, to continue supporting the embattled Williams,” Matjila said.
ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party noted Williams’s resignation, citing it came as a surprise.
“As a coalition partner, the news took us by surprise. There has been an ongoing conversation that there needs to be political consequences in Tshwane relating to the adverse audit finding, the Kratos unsolicited bid proposal, the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant, as well as a number of important service delivery issues.
Beaumont added that there is a meeting scheduled for Monday evening to discuss the future of the coalition and possible plans of arranging Williams’s successor.
“We are going to that meeting to express our commitment to the multiparty coalition, to ensure it succeeds for Tshwane residents and to ensure support for any leadership that commits itself to improving service delivery and addressing the important issues,” said Beaumont.
DA Gauteng provincial party leader Solly Msimanga also noted the resignation, and expressed appreciation for work done during Williams's tenure.
“At times the challenges seemed insurmountable, but he never took his hands off the wheel.
“That he is prepared to stand down to ensure stability in the metro speaks volumes of his commitment to the residents as well as the political process,” Msimanga said.
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