Mayor Solly plans to be premier Solly

● Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga will be the premier of Gauteng should the DA win the province in next year’s general election.

Msimanga was endorsed by the DA federal executive at its meeting that ended in Johannesburg yesterday.

The DA was expected to officially announce Msimanga’s candidacy today.

The DA is optimistic about its chances to win the province after the ANC lost control of Johannesburg and Tshwane in the 2016 local government election.

Msimanga sprung a surprise when he unexpectedly entered the party’s leadership race in July.

By announcing his candidacy in the party race, he was pitted against his friend and ally, Gauteng MPL Makashule Gana, who had been running a public campaign to become the candidate.

Msimanga said yesterday he had been persuaded by DA members to put his name forward after he had earlier been unwilling to make himself available.

“When a party calls and says, we would like you to stand because we do believe that you would be better able to convey our message out there … and once you are in office, as you have proven, you will also be able, at a bigger platform than Tshwane, to assist even those municipalities that we are now governing in partnership with other political parties,” he said.

‘Good for the party’

“[I was] approached internally to say, yes, Gana is running, yes, he is a friend of yours, but it’s not a competition between the two of you.

“It cannot be a competition between the two of you, it’s not about the two of you. It’s about what is good for the party.”

Other candidates were Tshwane council speaker Katlego Mathebe, MP Ghaleb Cachalia and deputy federal chairperson Refiloe Nt’sekhe.

Msimanga said the nomination did not mean he would immediately quit as mayor.

Asked if he was concerned that the governance and procurement scandals plaguing his metro might harm his campaign, the politician from the Pretoria West township of Atteridgeville said he was not worried.

“This will be said. One thing I have always prided myself on is to say that I have always put myself out there and if there is anything, the processes must unfold,” he said.

Gana said he was not disappointed that he was not selected.

“A decision of the selection panel and [the federal executive] needs to be respected.

“We remain true in our commitment to win Gauteng, so you will find me on the ground,” said Gana.