City of Tshwane Finance MMC Eugene Modise has been elected the new deputy mayor.

He was elected unopposed at Friday’s special council meeting.

Modise replaces Dr Nasiphi Moya, who is now the mayor, following the removal of Cilliers Brink from the mayoral office through a motion of no confidence brought by the African National Congress, with the help of ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters.

GOOD City of Tshwane Councillor and Economic Development and Spatial Planning MMC Sarah Mabotsa said the GOOD party was looking forward to “seeing the positive impact” Modise would make working alongside Moya.

Mabotsa said the ability of the new executive to work collaboratively was essential to bring stability to the capital, and to improve service delivery and maintain financial recovery.

“As GOOD, we will be working within the new Tshwane Mayoral Committee to ensure we create a spatially just and economically inclusive Tshwane.

We need to revitalise our city for the benefit of all residents,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on Modise to pay his allegedly “huge overdue” municipal debt of R690 000 as of 31 March 2024.

“This, or a payment arrangement with the municipality, is the least that the Finance MMC can do considering Tshwane’s constrained finances,” said DA Tshwane Caucus chairperson Jacqui Uys.

She said credit control must be applied equitably, calling for more effort to be expended by the City where there was a credible prospect of success.

“…but without an overall culture of paying for consumption beyond Tshwane’s generous basket of free basic services, the City will not achieve financial rescue,” she explained.

She claimed that Modise was “set up for success” by the efforts of the previous DA-led coalition and with the unaudited financial statements of the City for 2023/24 showing significant financial improvement.

“… depending on the management of the audit process, the City is likely to attain an unqualified audit, [although] the City’s financial recovery still needs very careful and diligent work,” she added.

Uys stated that without a culture of payment, the City would be financially unsustainable in the medium term, and said it was essential that MMC's not owe arrear debt to the City, or at least if they did, that they made payment arrangements.

Modise has denied that he has outstanding debt with the municipality and has threatened to sue the DA for its claims.