Stevens Mokgalapa: Tshwane mayor to resign before end of February
“It is with regret that I inform the people of Tshwane and my colleagues in my party, the Democratic Alliance, that I intend resigning as executive mayor of the City of Tshwane before the next council meeting at the end of February,” the embattled mayor said on Sunday 3 February in a statement
This follows the “Tshwane mayoral war” that broke out on 2 December 2019 during a chaotic council meeting.
Mokgalapa: Timeline of events leading up to resignation
November 2019: An audio recording of an alleged “sex scandal” emerges. It’s claimed that Mokgalapa was recorded while having sex with the city’s roads and transport MMC, Sheila Senkubuge. The leaked audio also revealed alleged infighting within the DA.
This came at the worst possible time for Mokgalapa and the DA, as the EFF and ANC supported a motion of no confidence in the mayoral which included council speaker Katlego Mathebe.
What followed was nothing but chaos with a heated council meeting on 5 December ending in a political circus.
The two DA deployees were then removed from power by the EFF and ANC coalition between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and African National Congress (ANC) with the DA in a last-ditch court effort to claw back Tshwane, heading to the High Court in Pretoria to have the council decision nullified and overturned.
The high court ruled on Friday 27 December 2019 that Mokgalapa and Mathebe will retain their positions.
Mokgalapa: Why all the fuss?
On top of the “sex tape scandal”, Mokgalapa has also been labelled a “lazy leader” with a lacklustre approach to tackling issues facing Tshwane.
He was also accused of not getting a grip on the administration in Tshwane, lambasted for not acting decisively on issues related to water and power supply that have hampered communities in the metro for the most part of 2019.
Mokgalapa: ‘Political football’
In his statement, Mokgalapa had the following to say:
“In my view, stepping down would pave the way for further progress beyond that which was achieved in my term this far.
“On the other hand, I am cognisant of the fact that my presence in office is a football that others with political malice cannot resist kicking around.
“Those that put politics first, risk dragging down the administration and unfortunately, they do not care about the people. I do.
“I wish to make clear that I have not broken any laws and am confident that I would emerge positively from any assessment of my conduct.”
The DA, in a statement released on Sunday, noted Mokgalapa’s intention to resign from his position as mayor and said it will now initiate processes to nominate a new mayor for the people of Tshwane.
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