The City of Tshwane is dysfunctional and needs help in the form of a motion of no confidence in its mayor‚ Solly Msimanga‚ the ANC in Gauteng said on Sunday.

“The only way to help the city is for the ANC to table a motion of no confidence on Thursday and call for fresh elections so that the people of Tshwane can now elect a government of their choice that will restore the damage that has been caused by the DA-led coalition in the city‚” ANC Gauteng deputy provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi told a media conference in Johannesburg.

He believed the coalition government in the capital had let down residents as it battled to avoid “disintegration”.

“There are a number of major concerns that stand out such as the issue of corruption scandals that continue to rock the city‚ the lack of service delivery that has seen our people in Hammanskraal being forced to drink unsafe water‚ the endless land invasions that are not monitored and the continuous appointment of unqualified people into strategic positions in the municipality.”

The Sunday Times reported that Msimanga was fighting for his political life amid murmurs that black members of the DA in the city could vote with the opposition to oust him.

Msimanga is facing scrutiny over how much he knew about of a R12-billion contract awarded to an engineering consultancy to manage the city’s infrastructure projects. The fallout has led to the suspension of city manager Moeketsi Mosola.

The ANC in Gauteng will hold a night vigil on Wednesday evening ahead of its no-confidence motion on Thursday.

Meanwhile‚ the party has elected Dr Kgoši Maepa to lead the opposition in the council.

Lesufi believed that the “myth” that the DA governed better had been “shattered beyond a shadow”.

“A party that had portrayed itself as a paragon of moral virtue and as being beyond reproach finds itself exposed from all fronts and having lost the credibility to govern‚” he said.