Former DA MP Cilliers Brink elected new Tshwane mayor

DA councillor Cilliers Brink is the new mayor of Tshwane. 

Brink won the mayoral vote in the metro with 109 votes.

His competitor, Cope candidate Ofentse Moalusi, received 102 votes.

Brink's victory on Tuesday was followed by resounding applause from the DA and its coalition partners.

The mayoral appointment will be seen as a hopeful path for the City, which has had no permanent mayor serving longer than a week since February.

After weeks of political infighting in Tshwane, Brink was elected, which pitted the ANC and EFF against the DA and its coalition partners. 

The ANC/EFF coalition had initially won the day with the election of former Cope councillor Murunwa Makwarela, but this victory was short-lived.

READ | Cilliers Brink announced as DA coalition candidate for City of Tshwane, promises big on service delivery

Brink is a former DA MP who was transferred back to local government by the party as the preferred candidate to lead the City. 

He previously stated there were service delivery issues in Tshwane, and things needed to be fixed. 

Brink said the City should be turned around to match other areas where the DA governed, like the Western Cape.

He spoke positively about the advantage the multi-party government had to commit to changing things in Tshwane because the coalition was much more stable with a majority in the council. 

"We have not been able to keep the core promise of better services, clean, corruption-free government to the extent that we have been able to in other areas in the country, so we must fix that. We must keep the promise," Brink said.

The first task for the new mayor would be to ensure the appointment of a mayoral committee which can swiftly put forward an adjustment budget due by 14 April. 

The City has issues with finances and the budget, and Brink's plans will have to speak to how these areas can be addressed.