The Ekurhuleni Council meeting on the 26 October 2022. Photo: The Citizen/ Neil McCartney
The struggle to appoint an Ekurhuleni mayor is in full swing as the African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) vie for power.
The special council meeting of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality to elect a new mayor was postponed on Wednesday, and a consensus could not be reached.
The EFF’s provincial chair Nkululeko Dunga said the council meeting was postponed because politicians are mainly concerned about positions and do not care about service delivery.
DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga pointed the finger at the EFF and ANC for leaving the city’s council meeting “in limbo”.
Meanwhile, in an interview on Thursday, the ANC’s Mzwandile Masina said the party is “trying to find a lasting solution after the city collapsed due to lack of leadership from the DA”.
The next council sitting will convene within six days.
Mzwandile Masina has since withdrawn from the race and said on Thursday he’d “just continue being a public representative to the ANC” after he lost his seat.
He said the ANC was trying to repair Ekurhuleni after the “city collapsed due to a lack of experienced leadership from the DA”.
“We need experienced people to save the current situation,” Masina said.
Masina said the ANC was working with other parties. He says they’re “talking to everyone except the DA because” they do share the same ideologies.
When asked if the ANC would vote for an EFF candidate, Masina said “it’s too early to say”, however, he added: “[Our] first intention is to have an ANC candidate as mayor.
“Where we are now, we have a candidate in the ANC ready to assume the responsibility,” he concluded. Masina didn’t confirm who the candidate might be.
ALSO READ: Mzwandile Masina withdraws from Ekurhuleni mayoral race
The EFF said on Wednesday it “vehemently disagreed with the postponement of the council meeting”.
Meanwhile, Dunga said the two main parties (the ANC and the DA) “made it a point of principle to bully and have the majority of voters with a complete disregard for smaller parties”.
He said, the EFF “made it extremely clear at this current junction that we’re more than ready to assume office” in Ekurhuleni.
“The ANC and DA are used to bullying smaller parties, they’re also able to dictate and assume positions which are more favourable to them.”
Dunga added: “We were ready to govern; we acknowledge that we’ve accumulated great experience individually and as an organisation to carry out governance.”
He said the DA are not only bullies, but an “aspect of white arrogance” was at play too.
“They see themselves [as only] assuming the highest office. They think they’re better than any other organisation, but they can’t come through with ideas to address challenges.”
That said, the DA is confident that Tania Campbell will be re-elected, despite taking a knock last week when she was ousted in a motion of no-confidence.
More than a 100 of the City of Ekhuruleni’s 235 councillors voted against her, while only 93 voted for Campbell to remain in office.
Even though the DA is confident in obtaining the seat again, the party’s provincial chairperson, Fred Nel, said on Wednesday “the [EFF’s] numbers will be against us”.
ALSO READ: Joburg council meeting: How Phalatse plans to fix a ‘city on its knees’
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
