Pretoria – Randall Williams, a member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), has quit his Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane position.
“Today I am formally resigning as the executive mayor of the City of Tshwane as of midnight this evening,” Williams said Monday morning.
“I resign today because I believe it is in the best interest for continued stability of the coalition in the city.
“Being executive mayor of the capital city has not been without its difficulties, but I have embraced every challenge that has come my way in the execution of my duties, all of which have allowed my own personal development.
“I resign today not in frustration, resentment or anger but in peace knowing that I have been given an incredible opportunity and I have fulfilled my duties to the best of my abilities.”
Williams, who was to face a no-confidence vote before he quit, told residents of Tshwane, officials of the City, fellow councillors, his colleagues in the DA, members of the multi-party coalition and those that serve in the opposition benches, that “this role has been one of the greatest honours of my life”.
“When I was first elected Executive Mayor of Tshwane at the end of October 2020 the city was in an incredibly challenging position,” said Williams.
“We had just removed the ANC [African National Congress] administrators who had mismanaged the city and our country was still in a state of Covid-19 lockdown.
“Having inherited a R4 billion deficit at the time, my immediate goal was to stabilize the citys finances.
“At that point, I was leading a DA minority government and within a year we would have the local government elections.
“Thus, there was immense pressure to guide the city to those elections and ensure stability in the government which was incredibly difficult.”
Reacting to William’s resignation, The GOOD party in Tshwane said his departure was a welcome relief for the City.
“The governing coalition wants you to believe that Mayor Williams’ Tshwane exemplified competence and stability,” said the GOOD party.
The Tshwane coalition comprises the DA, ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, African Christian Democratic Party, Inkatha Freedom Party and the Congress of the People.
“The reality couldn’t be further from this fairytale,” said the Good party, adding that “Williams presided over financial carnage”.
The Good party said since 2016, the DA-led coalition has stumbled from one financial blunder to the next.
“Seven years has been more than enough time for Williams and his cohort to have demonstrated their competence,” the GOOD party said.
“In just five years, the City of Tshwane lost R8.6 billion to irregular expenditure – leading the mayor to declare the municipality bankrupt in May 2021. It wasnt long after that the city was placed under administration.
“The city’s financial health didn’t improve once Williams regained the mayoralty.”
To emphasise the mismanagement of the City’s finances, the GOOD party pointed to recent findings by Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke, in which she detailed irregular expenditure of R10 billion, unauthorised expenditure of R600 million, and wasteful expenditure which was underestimated by over R1 billion.
“Residents paid increasingly high prices for the municipalitys mismanagement,” the GOOD party stated.
“Since July last year, Tshwanes citizens have paid 6% more for refuse removal, 8% more for electricity, and 9% more for water.
“Mayor Williams has time and again blamed this on Rand Water and other entities without ever accepting his own governments responsibility.
“Whether through a new or the current coalition, Tshwane deserves a mayor that displays financial competence.
“Tshwane must be led by a sensible, skilled mayor who can provide financial stability – and in turn lessen the financial burden residents must carry.”
