[LISTEN] Solly Msimanga quits as Tshwane mayor

Msimanga made the announcement at the Democratic Alliance (DA) headquarters in Bruma on Friday.

Msimanga's tenure will come to an end in February, after which he will commit more time to his campaign for as the DA’s candidate for Gauteng premier.

"Up until the last hour, I will continue serving the people of Tshwane and putting their needs first," he said.

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Msimanga said the decision was not an easy one.

"This decision was not made lightly or hastily, and I have done so because I believe it best serves the interests of the people of Tshwane, and Gauteng as a whole." 

Msimanga was elected mayor after the 2016 provincial elections when the ANC fell below 50% in the metro.

The DA received the biggest number of votes but had to form a coalition to govern, relying on the EFF’s vote to get Msimanga into office.

Msimanga has survived two motions of no confidence in the Tshwane metro, one was tabled by the ANC and the other by the EFF.

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