Williams’ departure dents DA image of good governance - analyst
Political analyst Levy Ndou says Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams was under immense pressure in the weeks leading up to his decision to resign.
Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams announced his resignation on Monday morning, saying the decision was made in the interest for continued stability of the muti-party coalition in the city.
Williams was elected as mayor in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in October 2020, but has come under increased pressure from the DA’s coalition partners to resign from his post.
His role came into sharp focus towards the end of last year when the city received poor audit outcomes.
Ndou says that Williams would have been aware of the mood among the DA’s coalition partners in the run-up to a motion of no confidence against him.
“Most people saw this coming because there was a motion of no confidence looming on him. He might have done some calculations and he might have realised that the motion might succeed, and he had then decided that he must jump the ship. But equally, he has been under a lot of immense pressure not only from politicians in the council but also from the people on the ground.
“There has been a lot of issues reported about wasteful expenditure which hasn't been properly accounted for and the auditor-general's report which presented a very bad picture about the activities at the City of Tshwane could be some of the issues that had influenced the mayor to resign.”
Ndou believes that the DA leadership would have been given advanced warning of Williams’ decision hand in his mayoral chain.
“When he took the decision to resign, he might have consulted with the members of his party before taking this decision. I don't think the leadership of the DA was taken by surprise by this resignation.
“It might have been discussed within their circle and then they felt that this might have been the best option for you to resign. Of course it does put a dent in the DA, especially when you always have their leaders resigning and absconding their responsibilities that they have absorbed at a time when you expect them to do more. I think it creates a situation where citizens might have a difficulty in trusting them.”
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