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The multi-billion rand GladAfrica scandal has had an adverse impact on service delivery in the City of Tshwane, according to the DA's mayoral candidate Stevens Mokgalapa.
On Sunday, Mokgalapa was announced as the party's preferred candidate to take over when Solly Msimanga steps out of office on February 11.
Msimanga will be focusing his attention on attempting to unseat current Premier David Makhura and the ANC's hold on Gauteng.
Mokgalapa is currently a member of Parliament and the DA's shadow minister of International Relations.
"You've heard the leader saying if it isn't broke don't fix it but it's unlikely that there's nothing that's broken, something is broken, and I will fix where it's broken," said Mokgalapa.
Promises
The mayoral candidate stressed a need for the DA in Tshwane to live up to its promises of delivering better services to residents of the capital city.
He said he would make changes to the mayoral committee, which is currently serving at the behest of Msimanga.
Mokgalapa said he would definitely change the mayoral committee should he be elected mayor at a council sitting later this month.
"We are in a race against time, we have back-slided in terms of service delivery, we have to move and show the people of Tshwane that the DA can deliver," said Mokgalapa, who wants to have monthly performance agreements for his team.
He said the team appointed to work alongside him had to have a mix of skills and experience.
"It won't be people who will need babysitting; we need people who can hit the ground running," said Mokgalapa.
The mayoral candidate promised to pick up where his predecessor left off in the battle against Tshwane city manager Moeketsi Mosola because of the GladAfrica tender.
Msimanga has attempted numerous times, unsuccessfully, to suspend Mosola over the appointment of the Midrand-based engineering firm to manage City infrastructure projects.
The awarding of this contract was one of the reasons opposition parties had been calling for both Msimanga and Mosola's removal.
"This has already affected service delivery in the municipality and my first task within the first 100 days is to ensure that we unlock all those service delivery backlogs," said Mokgalapa.
"I want to settle this matter once and for all but as you know we are a party that believes in the rule of law and due processes," he added.
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