In an attempt to prevent political parties from removing him from office, Tshwane mayor and DA councillor, Cilliers Brink, has approached the High Court in Pretoria to try and prevent a motion of no confidence against him. In leaked court papers, Brink wants the court to block an upcoming motion of no confidence against him. The ANC in Tshwane has submitted a motion of no-confidence against Brink, blaming the DA-led coalition government in the capital city for having failed to provide services to township residents.

PROTECT THE COALITION

Brink said that senior leaders of the ANC and the DA had met to discuss the possibility of a stability agreement. At a media briefing yesterday at Tshwane House, where he was accompanied by FF-Plus, IFP and DA multiparty coalition partners, Brink said that both parties agreed to not bring a motion of no confidence against each other in the municipalities they governed across the country. "I want to emphatically say that there has been no discussion about ending this coalition and bringing in somebody else into this coalition. Preserving this coalition remains the number one priority and that is why I have pleaded with the leadership of ActionSA to make it clear they won't support a motion of no confidence and they will make every effort as we have done to preserve the existing coalition."

NOT ENOUGH TIME

Yesterday, Brink wrote to the council speaker in a bid to try and stop the motion of no confidence against him. In court papers addressed to the Speaker's office, Brink's lawyers said the mayor was not given sufficient time to consider the motion against him. The speaker's office has confirmed receiving the papers, saying they are getting the necessary attention. The DA Tshwane caucus spokesperson, Kwena Moloto, said there is no urgency for the motion to be on Friday's council agenda. "A motion of no confidence shouldn't be something that takes place for fun; a mayor should have an opportunity to respond to the allegations of political parties in council. Therefore, a motion of no confidence served urgently denies the executive mayor the right to bring forth arguments to the concerns political parties may be raising," Moloto said. Brink has been Tshwane mayor since the end of March last year, after succeeding the late Dr. Murunwa Makwarela.