The newly elected Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Geoff Makhubo revealed this morning that the ANC was planning a formal coalition government with the parties that voted with them.
Makhubo was briefing the media a day after he won the elections with 137 votes following the resignation of Herman Mashaba in October. The ANC claimed victory of the the metro with the assistance of Cope, UDM, AIC, IFP, PA and Al-Jamah. Makhubo said their coalition partners will each have representation in the mayoral committee.
“We will be talking to the DA to work with us. We will also speak to the EFF to also work with us. We really want to unify the City of Johannesburg and work together to make the City work.”
It is not yet clear whether it was DA members who gave the ANC three of their votes which made them victorious during the elections. However, EFF’s candidate Musa Novela with 30 councillors in the Council received 30 votes.
DA member of the Gauteng Legislature Mike Moriarty said he was disappointed with the outcome of the elections and said that the individuals that voted for the ANC had nothing to do with the ideology of the DA. “Those who voted with the ANC know themselves. They might as well come out and resign from the DA.”
Furthermore, Makhubo told journalists that the City’s finances were on the verge of collapse. He said City Power’s assets are sitting at R3.1 billion while its liabilities are R9.5 billion. “Service providers throughout the City have not been paid on time. We worry that among other challenges, the City may not be able to foot the salary bill in about three months.”
Makhubo added that in 2016, the City had an AA rating with positive outlook. However, he said the City currently has a negative outlook due to liquidity crunch. “Irregular expenditure to the tune of R6.2 billion incurred by the City makes it one of the worst culprits when considering the spectre of financial mismanagement.”
In addition, Makhubo said he will be focusing on service delivery, especially in the township areas, with an aim of restoring water supply and electricity.
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