Tshwane will remain without a mayor until further notice following an unsuccessful attempt at electing one today.

The Council Speaker  informed Councillors that after having received two contrasting letters from the Congress of the People (COPE) regarding the membership of Justice Sefanyetso.

COPE cannot Cope: Internal party factions confuse the Tshwane Council

The two letters in question have caused quite a stir, even becoming the cause of today’s Council meeting adjournment.

Following allegations of Justice Sefanyetso having two ID numbers and a criminal record, the two letters in question speak of his membership thereof, with one of the letters expressing that he is no longer a Council representative for Cope, and the other expressing the opposite.

The question you may ask, why does the party have two contrasting views on the matter?

Following the Johannesburg Speaker and Cope member, Colleen Makhubele’s decision to issue a statement expressing Sefanyetso’s removal last week, questions rose regarding what authority Makhubele had in removing a party member as a representative and with the ongoing showcase of the two divisions in the party, it has been a contributor to the Councils chaos today.

According to, Cope Tshwane Spokesperson, Brian Mkhono, the party did not remove  Sefanyetso as a councillor, adding that allegations laid against him were false.

D-date for the Adjustment Budget 

With today’s Council proceedings resulting in no mayor once again, time is ticking for the City to pass the Adjustment Budget. 

With a deadline of the end of March provided by National Treasury, the deadline provided by the Provincial Treasury to pass the Adjustment Budget by 24 March 2023, is not likely to be met.

The Council’s failure to pass the budget on time could see the City go under administration- a big fear for the DA-led coalition.

As a result, the DA has vowed to take the matter to court in the next 24 hours to get an urgent interdict.

If successful, this could see Council meet once again this week.

DA and ANC politicking

The adjournment of today’s meeting saw the DA-led coalition accuse the ANC and its coalition of utilising the ‘Cope issue’ as a way to delay or sabotage proceedings because the numbers would not be in their favour if a Mayoral vote took place.

This despite the DA’s theatrics that took place last week following the expulsion of three ActionSA councillors who would detriment the number of votes for the DA-led coalition candidate, Cllr. Cilliers Brink.

Both sides seem to be politicking, forcing the solution to elect a new mayor, being far from reach.

Secret ballot

If the vote for the new Executive Mayor takes place, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), will be looking closely to ensure that the rules of the secret ballot are met. 

This is as two ActionSA members were expelled following allegations that they voted with the opposition in the Mayoral race between Cilliers Brink and Murunwa Makwarela.

The EFF has since expressed that it may take the matter to court to investigate how the DA-led coalition may have come to the conclusion of the two members double-crossing them.

With Tshwane still without a mayor until further notice, concern on the state of governance within the City continues to plague residents.