The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has supported the dissolution of the Tshwane Metropolitan Council.
In a sitting of the upper house of the South African Parliament yesterday, the NCOP backed the decision to dissolve the council, a decision made by the Gauteng provincial government.
Eight of the nine provinces backed the decision. Unsurprisingly the only province to dissent was the Western Cape, the only province that is not governed by the African National Congress. Since the 2016 municipal elections Tshwane has been governed by a coalition headed by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
The decision to dissolve the municipality’s council came after months of chaos in the city, with former mayor Stevens Mokgalapa at the centre of a sex scandal. Following his resignation, the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters blocked numerous attempts by the DA to elect a new mayor. This led to the provincial government deciding to place the city under administration.
The DA is going to court over the decision. Elections will also need to be held to elect a new government for the municipality which the DA has described as irresponsible, as the country and the globe are battling the Covid-19 epidemic.