Randall Williams is a South African politician and attorney serving as the Executive Mayor of the
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
since October 2020. Previously, he served as the Mayoral Committee Member (MMC) for Economic Development and Spatial Planning and as the Chairperson of Municipal Appeals Tribunal between 2016 and 2019. Williams is a member of the
Democratic Alliance.
Early life and career
Williams was born on the
Cape Flats
The Cape Flats ( af, Die Kaapse Vlakte) is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which lie ...
in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. He holds a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
(LLB) from
UNISA
The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...
and a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in International Investment and Trade Law from
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University ( af, Universiteit Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant ...
.
Williams worked as the chief director of International Trade and Economic Development at the
Department of Trade and Industry before he was elected to the City of Tshwane council.
Political career
After the
3 August 2016 municipal elections, the
Democratic Alliance gained control of the
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
. On 26 August 2016, the newly elected DA mayor,
Solly Msimanga
Solly Tshepiso Msimanga (born 16 July 1980) is a South African politician serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since May 2019. He has been a Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Member of the Gauteng Provincia ...
, appointed Williams as the member of the mayoral committee (MMC) responsible for economic development and spatial planning. He was also appointed chairperson of the Municipal Appeals Tribunal.
In January 2019, Msimanga announced his intention to resign as mayor. The DA shortlisted Williams as a possible mayoral candidate, but later chose Member of Parliament
Stevens Mokgalapa
Stevens Mokgalapa (born 9 April 1977) is a South African politician who served as the Mayor of Tshwane from 2019 to 2020. A former member of the Democratic Alliance (DA), he served as a Member of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2019. Within t ...
as their preferred mayoral candidate. He was elected mayor of the municipality on 12 February 2019. On 21 February, Mokgalapa announced his mayoral committee. Williams was not returned to the mayoral committee.
Mayoral career
In early-February 2020, Mokgalapa announced his decision to resign. The DA then announced on 17 February that they had selected Williams as their candidate to replace Mokgalapa. However, in March 2020, the
Gauteng provincial government
The government of Gauteng province in South Africa consists of a unicameral legislature elected by proportional representation, and an executive branch headed by a Premier who is elected by the legislature.
Legislature
The provincial legis ...
placed the municipality under administration and dissolved the council. After months of legal challenges, the
Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the provincial government's decision on 27 October 2020. On 30 October, Williams was elected as the new executive mayor by defeating the EFF's MoAfrika Mabogwana. He received 97 votes compared to 25 for Mabogwana. The ANC abstained from voting. On 5 November, Williams announced the formation of his first mayoral committee.
On 23 August 2021, DA leader
John Steenhuisen
John Henry Steenhuisen (born 25 March 1976) is a South African politician who has served as the leader of the Opposition since October 2019 and has been the federal leader of the Democratic Alliance since November 2020, having served as the in ...
announced that the DA had selected Williams to be the party's mayoral candidate for the City of Tshwane for the
local government elections on 1 November 2021. At the election, no party won an outright majority and the DA lost 24 seats in council, becoming the second largest party after the ANC.
Williams was re-elected as mayor unopposed at the inaugural sitting of the
City of Tshwane
The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane) () is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The Metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pr ...
municipal council on 23 November 2021 after the ANC declined to put forward their candidate. On 14 December, Williams announced his new mayoral committee consisting of DA,
ActionSA
ActionSA is a South African political party established by former mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, soon after he left the Democratic Alliance.
The party states that it has been established to "set South Africa free from the restraints of ...
and
Freedom Front Plus
The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus; af, Vryheidsfront Plus, ''VF Plus'') is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Its current stated policy positions include ab ...
councillors. Williams said he was "relieved" that the DA could form a majority coalition government. The coalition government consists of five parties: the DA, ActionSA, the FF Plus, the
Congress of the People and the
African Christian Democratic Party
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Randall
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Coloured South African people
People from Cape Town
People from Pretoria
Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians
21st-century South African politicians