Growing impatience over ANC-EFF marriage of convenience in Ekurhuleni

The ANC in the City of Ekurhuleni said it was sick and tired of the malfunctioning ANC-EFF coalition arrangement which has proved to be disastrous for the residents of the metro.

ANC Ekurhuleni concerns

The party held a press conference on Tuesday where its regional leadership expressed concern for the future of the municipality should the marriage of convenience between the EFF and the ANC continue.

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The municipality has failed to cut grass in public spaces, there have been problems with refuse collection, service providers are not being paid and there are issues regarding hidden financial reports.

ANC Ekurhuleni Task Team Coordinator Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the region wants a change of leadership in Ekurhuleni.

“The ANC is firmly of the view that the current state of the city does necessitate the reconfiguration of political leadership, as we said, [we need] to salvage the city from further regression,” Dlabathi said. 

ANC-EFF fist fight

This was not the first time that the region expressed reservations about the ANC being treated like back-benchers in a coalition where they had the majority.

Last week matters got worse when EFF councillors reportedly pounced on ANC members. Video footage of the council meeting shows full-on fights and scuffles in the council chambers.

Dlabathi said the proxy mayor that was put in place by the EFF-ANC coalition, Sivuyile Ngodwana, was unhelpful to the residents of Ekurhuleni.

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“It is not about the positions, nor the perks of governance, but our commitment of building better communities. To this end, the ANC is prepared for any eventuality, but will not be part of a collaborative arrangement that is not helpful in taking forward the program of a better life for all,” he said.

Meanwhile, ActionSA said it had gathered enough support to compel the Speaker of Council to convene another council meeting, where the motion of no confidence against the mayor would be voted on.

“This morning, councilors from ActionSA, ACDP, ANC, DA, FF-Plus, PA, IRASA, IFP, COPE, ATM, PAC, UDM, ICM, and the PAC met to sign a petition that obligates the EFF Speaker of Council, Cllr Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, via the Municipal Structures Act, which compels the speaker to reconvene a council meeting if a majority of councilors request it,” the party said in a statement.

Some reports suggest that the ANC mother body was losing patience with the functioning coalitions in Gauteng municipalities. The ANC mother body was expected to announce its position on coalitions soon.