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Solly Msimanga has officially set his sights on becoming Gauteng’s next premier, following today’s announcement that he was stepping down as the City of Tshwane’s mayor.
“My resignation will be finalised within the first two weeks of February. Up until the last hour, I will continue serving the people of Tshwane and putting their needs first,” he said.
Msimanga said that the decision to resign from his post as executive mayor was not taken lightly and that he believed it was in the best interests of the people of Gauteng.
Last week Msimanga told City Press that the first order of business after becoming premier would be to root out corruption. He was speaking at the Tlhabologo Opportunity Centre in Diepsloot where DA leader Mmusi Maimane and Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba were also present.
Msimanga was elected as Tshwane mayor in 2016 during the local government elections and has survived two motions of no confidence against him. During his time as mayor it emerged that employees had been employed without having the required qualifications for the posts. He has also been accused by the ANC of knowing about an alleged R12 billion tender irregularity with engineering company GladAfrica. This prompted calls by the ANC to have him removed.
He is the DA’s preferred candidate for the position of Gauteng premier.
