Cilliers Brink
{{short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Councillor
| name = Cilliers Brink
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| image_size = 150px
| caption =
| office = Mayor of Tshwane
| term_start = 28 March 2023
| term_end = 26 September 2024
| predecessor = Murunwa Makwarela
| successor = Nasiphi Moya
| office1 = Member of the Tshwane City Council
| term_start1 = 24 February 2023
| term_end1 =
| term_start2 = May 2011
| term_end2 = May 2019
| office3 = National Spokesperson of the Democratic Alliance
| leader3 = John Steenhuisen
| term_start3 = September 2022
| term_end3 = February 2023
| alongside3 = Solly Malatsi
{{small|(18 August 2022 – 2 April 2023)}}
| predecessor3 = Siviwe Gwarube
| successor3 = Solly Malatsi (solely)
| office4 = Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
| leader4 = John Steenhuisen
| deputy4 = Eleanore Bouw-Spies
| term_start4 = 5 December 2020
| term_end4 = 23 February 2023
| predecessor4 = Haniff Hoosen
| successor4 =
| office6 = Member of the National Assembly of South Africa
| term_start6 = 22 May 2019
| term_end6 = 23 February 2023
| predecessor6 =
| successor6 =
| office5 = Shadow Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
| leader5 = John Steenhuisen
Mmusi Maimane
| 1blankname5 = Shadow Minister
| 1namedata5 = Haniff Hoosen
| term_start5 = 5 June 2019
| term_end5 = 5 December 2020
| predecessor5 = Choloane Matsepe{{Cite web|url=https://www.da.org.za/2017/06/changes-da-shadow-cabinet/|title = Changes to DA Shadow Cabinet}}
| successor5 = Eleanore Bouw-Spies
| office7 = Member of the Mayoral Committee of Tshwane for Corporate and Shared Services
| 1blankname7 = Mayor
| 1namedata7 = Solly Msimanga
| term_start7 = August 2016
| term_end7 = May 2019
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|6|12|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = South African
| party = Democratic Alliance
| otherparty =
| spouse =
| partner =
| relations =
| children =
| residence = Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| education =
| alma_mater = University of Pretoria (LLB)
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Politician
- legislator}}
| profession = Lawyer
| known_for =
| committees =
| awards =
| website =
}}
Cilliers Brink (born 12 June 1987) is a South African politician who was Mayor of Tshwane from 28 March 2023 until 26 September 2024. A member of the Democratic Alliance, he was the party's Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2020 until 2023 and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2019 to 2023. He was the party's Shadow Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs between 2019 and 2020.
Brink was elected a DA councillor in Tshwane in 2011 and served as a member of the mayoral committee (MMC) between 2016 and 2019.
Education
Political career
Brink has had an interest in politics since a young age. He joined the Democratic Alliance and was elected to the Tshwane city council in 2011. After the 2016 municipal elections, the DA gained control of Tshwane and Brink was appointed as the member of the mayoral committee for corporate and shared services, becoming the first DA politician to hold the post.{{cite news |last1=Keppler |first1=Virginia |title=These are Tshwane's new MMCs |url=https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1265574/these-are-the-new-mmcs/ |accessdate=3 October 2020 |newspaper=The Citizen |date=26 August 2016 |archive-date=26 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426235105/https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1265574/these-are-the-new-mmcs/ |url-status=dead }}
Parliamentary career
Prior to the 2019 South African general election held on 8 May, the DA revealed their candidate lists. Brink was placed tenth on the party's Gauteng list of National Assembly candidates, thirty-third on the party's national candidate list for the National Assembly and sixty-seventh on the party's provincial list for the provincial legislature.{{cite web |title=Cilliers Brink |url=https://www.pa.org.za/person/cilliers-brink/ |website=People's Assembly |accessdate=3 October 2020}} He was elected to the National Assembly on the party's national list.{{cite news |last1=Moatshe |first1=Rapula |title=City of Tshwane executive reshuffle ruled out |url=https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/city-of-tshwane-executive-reshuffle-ruled-out-23182476 |accessdate=24 October 2020 |agency=IOL |date=14 May 2019}} Brink was sworn into office on 22 May 2019.{{cite news |title=SEE: These are the people who will represent you in Parliament, provincial legislatures |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/elections/news/see-these-are-the-people-who-will-represent-you-in-parliament-provincial-legislatures-20190515 |accessdate=3 October 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=15 May 2019}}
On 5 June 2019, he was appointed Shadow Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.{{cite news |last1=Gerber |first1=Jan |title=Here's the DA's 'shadow cabinet' |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/heres-the-das-shadow-cabinet-20190605 |accessdate=3 October 2020 |newspaper=News24 |date=5 June 2019}} Brink became a member of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on 27 June 2019.{{cite web |title=announcements, tablings and committee reports - APRAV |url=https://www.aprav.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/List-of-members-of-all-the-Portfolio-Committees-for-the-6th-Parliament-published-27-June-2019.pdf |website=APRAV |accessdate=24 October 2020}}
In June 2020, Brink criticised the national Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, for saying that municipalities should appoint "the right cadres for the job". He went on to claim that cadre deployment is responsible for the decline of municipalities and that cadre deployment should be abolished.{{cite news |title=DA slams NDZ's 'toxic' cadre deployment views |url=https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/2306715/da-slams-ndzs-toxic-cadre-deployment-views/ |access-date=7 February 2021 |agency=The Citizen |date=22 June 2020}}
On 5 December 2020, he was appointed as Shadow Minister for the portfolio, succeeding Haniff Hoosen, in the Shadow Cabinet of John Steenhuisen.{{cite web |title=DA announces new Shadow Cabinet that will bring Real Hope and Real Change |url=https://www.da.org.za/2020/12/da-announces-new-shadow-cabinet-that-will-bring-real-hope-and-real-change |website=Democratic Alliance |access-date=5 December 2020}}
Mayor of Tshwane
Tshwane mayor and DA member Randall Williams announced his resignation as mayor on 13 February 2023. Brink and seven other DA members were interviewed for the position; he was announced as the DA's candidate on 21 February 2023 and his candidacy was endorsed by the members of the multi-party coalition which holds a majority of seats on the Tshwane city council.{{Cite web |last=Mahlati |first=Zintle |title=DA, coalition partners choose MP Cilliers Brink as Tshwane mayoral candidate |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/political-parties/da-coalition-partners-choose-mp-cilliers-brink-as-tshwane-mayoral-candidate-20230221 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Mbolekwa |first=Sisanda |title=DA spokesperson Cilliers Brink tipped to be next Tshwane mayor |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2023-02-21-da-spokesperson-cilliers-brink-tipped-to-be-next-tshwane-mayor/ |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}} He became a councillor on 23 February 2023 after councillor Sean Cox resigned to make way for him to be sworn in.{{Cite web |last=Mahlati |first=Zintle |title=ANC, EFF, DA ready to elect new Tshwane mayor via secret ballot |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/government/anc-eff-da-ready-to-elect-new-tshwane-mayor-via-secret-ballot-20230228 |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=News24 |language=en-US}} During the council meeting on 28 February 2023, Brink lost to council speaker and COPE's lone councillor, Dr Murunwa Makwarela in the election for mayor. Brink received only 101 votes compared to Makwarela's 112.{{Cite web |last=Seeletsa |first=Molefe |date=2023-02-28 |title=Cope's Dr Murunwa Makwarela elected City of Tshwane mayor |url=https://www.citizen.co.za/news/tshwane-mayor-elected-february-2023/ |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=The Citizen |language=en}} Makwarela was soon removed from office for being an unrehabilitated insolvent on 7 March 2023, but was reinstated on 9 March after he produced a certificate of solvency rehabilitation, which was found to have been forged. He then resigned from office and council the following day.{{Cite web |last=Baloyi |first=Thabo |date=2023-03-10 |title=BREAKING: Tshwane Mayor Murunwa Makwarela RESIGNS |url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/breaking-tshwane-mayor-murunwa-makwarela-resigns-10-march-2023-latest/ |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=The South African |language=en-ZA}} Rogue councillors in the multi-party coalition who voted for Makwarela over Brink also faced repercussions and were expelled.{{Cite web |last=Madia |first=Tshidi |title=DA-led coalition finds 'culprits' who voted with ANC, EFF to elect Tshwane mayor |url=https://ewn.co.za/2023/03/10/da-led-coalition-finds-culprits-who-voted-with-anc-eff-to-elect-tshwane-mayor |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=ewn.co.za |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Goba |first=Thabiso |title=ActionSA fires 2 councillors allegedly for voting with the ANC in Tshwane |url=https://ewn.co.za/2023/03/17/actionsa-fires-2-councillors-for-voting-with-the-anc-in-tshwane |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=ewn.co.za |language=en}}
Brink was elected as mayor during a council meeting on 28 March 2023 with the help of the multi-party coalition. He defeated COPE's new councillor Ofentse Moalusi, winning with 109 votes to Moalusi's 102 votes.{{Cite web |title=Cilliers Brink is the newly elected mayor of Tshwane |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2023-03-28-cilliers-brink-is-the-newly-elected-mayor-of-tshwane/ |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}} After a vote of no confidence by the ANC on 26 September 2024, Brink was removed as mayor.{{cite web |last=Buda |first=Christopher |title=Cilliers Brink removed as Tshwane mayor amidst ANC motion of no confidence |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/cilliers-brink-removed-as-tshwane-mayor-amidst-anc-motion-of-no-confidence-ce8b2b29-5574-4384-9b2f-c54d63b18850 |website=IOL |access-date=26 September 2024 |date=26 September 2024}}{{cite web |last=Kgobotlo |first=Boitumelo |title=Axe falls on Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink|url=https://sundayworld.co.za/politics/axe-falls-on-tshwane-mayor-cilliers-brink/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2g_KiRNkziYV57L8dCHevtPpv0L3C0Fne3cW6-p1s4f5NeZ0wnjf7j4H8_aem_41XcoF8Ha9jy162kFXwb4g|publisher=Sunday World|date=26 September 2024|accessdate=14 October 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.parliament.gov.za/person-details/17 Mr Cilliers Brink] at Parliament of South Africa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brink, Cilliers}}
Category:Politicians from Pretoria
Category:Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians
Category:Mayors of places in South Africa
Category:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 2019–2024