EFF vows to unseat DA in Tshwane

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu is adamant that the red berets will remove the DA from power in Tshwane after the national elections.

Addressing residents of Atteridgeville at Makhaza sports ground yesterday, Shivambu told hundreds of community members that the DA was not providing leadership in the capital.

"We gave the DA an opportunity to provide leadership here in Tshwane and they have failed. Instead, they are involved in corruption and they are giving tenders to their friends," said Shivambu.

He accused the DA of only hiring white people in senior positions - something the red berets were totally against.

"We are just going to enter into elections and immediately after that, we are going to take over this municipality of Tshwane and make sure the people of Atteridgeville, Mabopane, GaRankuwa and Soshanguve are given proper houses and land," said Shivambu.

Some residents of the townships have grown disillusioned with the DA-run City of Tshwane, claiming it has neglected their areas since taking power from the ANC in 2016. Shivambu said that when they went into coalition with the DA after the 2016 local government elections, they were under the impression the party would be against corruption and follow protocol.

"We thought we would remove the corrupt ANC out of the municipality, but we replaced them with another problem. The only solution we are left with now is to take over the government of Tshwane."

In the municipal elections in 2016, no party secured a majority, leaving the DA with no choice but to flirt with the EFF, Cope, UDM, ACDP and FF+ to form a government.

Meanwhile, Tshwane municipal manager Moeketsi Mosola will know his fate today after the auditor-general found that the city's R1.2bn contract with engineering company Glad Africa was awarded irregularly.

The controversial contract has been at the centre of a fallout between Mosola and outgoing mayor Solly Msimanga.

Msimanga tried to suspend Mosola for his role in the awarding of the tender.

Ironically, both the ANC and the DA want Mosola out, but none of them want to support each other in council, while the EFF have said they want to see proof that the municipal manager acted in bad faith.

Shivambu said tenders should be done away with as they lead to corruption in the country.

"We are going to remove tenders, because tenders are the cause of corruption in South Africa. The Guptas were products of tender corruption, Bosasa [exists] because of tender corruption.

"If we take over government as the EFF, we are going to do our own things directly," he said.