Mayoral candidate's strategy for Tshwane's 2026 elections

DA's mayoral candidate for Tshwane in the 2026 elections, Cilliers Brink, is set to win the hearts and minds of the electorates by engaging with them directly and prioritising basic service delivery issues as part of his campaign.

He pledged to interact with Tshwane residents from all walks of life over the coming months after he was officially announced as the DA Tshwane mayoral candidate on Friday.

"In the next few months, I want to meet you, and understand what our municipality can do or stop doing to make your life better," he said.

Brink, who served as the mayor of Tshwane from 2023 before being ousted through a motion of no confidence in September last year, was previously a Member of Parliament for the DA.

According to him, his campaign team has extensive experience in government, with members representing every part of the city.

"We come from every part of this city. We speak all of its languages. We know what the municipality looks like on the inside," he said.

He remarked that his team doesn't presume to know everything. Instead, they will listen to the people of Tshwane and use what they learn to inform the pledges they will unveil later this year. 

The pledges will focus on key areas such as fighting crime, ending corruption, rebuilding infrastructure, and delivering value for money.

"The pledges will be specific, and they will help us deliver change. But they will also help residents hold us to account at the next election," Brink said. 

He extended an invitation to all Tshwane residents, businesses, churches, civil society organisations, and city lovers to join him in this engagement.

He took stock of his administration's achievements during his 18-month tenure as mayor before being ousted through a vote of confidence last year.

According to him, his administration improved the city's audit outcome and achieved the biggest improvement in financial sustainability of all metros in 2023. 

They also devised a solution to the Hammanskraal water crisis, ensuring residents received clean water from taps instead of tankers.

Under his leadership, the city's executive appointed competent professionals to management positions and backed city manager Johann Mettler in his efforts to dismiss the Rooiwal Five, officials implicated in a tender scandal involving businessman Edwin Sodi. 

He indicated that his administration also stood up to a violent strike, fighting for Tshwane residents who couldn't afford a R600 million salary increase for councillors and officials. 

Brink highlighted other achievements, including budgeting for solar-powered streetlights and dedicated streetlight teams to combat crime, establishing community uplifting precincts, and improving waste removal services.

 However, he noted that since the DA and its coalition partners were removed from office, Tshwane has fallen behind on revenue collection targets, resulting in an R857 million deficit at the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

Deputy Executive Mayor and MMC for Finance, Eugene Modise, recently said the city achieved a significant milestone by collecting R40.5 billion in cash revenue for the 2024/25 financial year, which is approximately 98% of its target of R41.3 billion.

Brink also criticised the current administration's decision to appeal a court ruling regarding the city cleansing levy, labelling it a waste of taxpayers' money.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za