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ActionSA looks to oust Joburg coalition – but Zille plays tough
Herman Mashaba seeks to oust current mayor and coalition in Johannesburg, eyeing budget vote for change.
ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba at an event held at Newtown Junction to announce the ActionSA Gauteng Premier candidate, Funzi Ngobeni, 29 February 2024. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
There might be yet another new mayor and another coalition in power in Joburg before the month-end polls – if ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has his way.
ActionSA wants to remove Al Jama-ah mayor Kabelo Gwamanda and his ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) coalition partners next week at the last council sitting before the elections on 29 May.
On the agenda is the second round of the city’s budget vote.
‘Joburg residents not being prioritised’
Mashaba said it was clear that Johannesburg residents were not being prioritised by the metro’s current government, after the coalition and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) failed to support the budget proposed by MMC of finance Dada Morero this week.
Mashaba says he has consulted with opposition coalition partners and many council members, including the PA, are on board to vote for the change. However, he needs the Democratic Alliance (DA) to vote alongside them.
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“We have all the votes we need to get it done if the DA votes with us,” Mashaba said.
That seems unlikely.
No prospect of establishing a stable coalition government
DA federal chair Helen Zille told Saturday Citizen last night there is no prospect of establishing a stable coalition government in Johannesburg.
“The PA has broken faith with us multiple times, and will soon extort more from the ANC and jump again.
“That is why we are calling for the council’s dissolution and the holding of fresh elections to enable the voters to consider the consequences of their vote in light of the city’s recent history.”
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Mashaba, though, hopes everyone can come to their senses, even the ANC.
“I have asked some of our other partners to speak to the DA, because they do not listen to us,” he said.
“And even if they do not want to enter a formal coalition with us in Johannesburg, they can still vote with us to save the city from this ANCEFF coalition.
“Thereafter, the DA can vote on an issues-based matter.”
DA reluctant to work with PA inside coalition
An insider close to the DA’s decision-making machinations told Saturday Citizen the party is reluctant to work with the PA inside a coalition, after its negative experiences with what they called political flip-flopping during prior council configurations.
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“We do not really want to work with the PA,” the DA insider said.
Previously, the PA said it would work with anyone to further the mandate it had received from its constituents but that some members of the DA were opposed to joining hands with the party.
On Wednesday, a clearly angry PA leader Gayton McKenzie hinted on social media platform X that he would forsake the current marriage with the ANC.
However, the message was deleted and a source close to the party’s election campaign said there could be some measure of tone and present intent read into the deletion.
Status quo
The PA source said: “Right now, it’s a status quo.
“It’s not the right time to reshuffle a council, on the eve of a national election.”
The PA source said allegations by the DA that it’s an arm of the ANC are wildly inaccurate.
“We never were, are not now, and never will be any limb on the ANC. We are an independent party that remains true to the people who elected us.”
The ANC are 46 seats short of a majority in the 136-seat council and without coalition partners, it would be backbenched again.
All depends on budget vote
But, as the PA insider said, it all depends on the budget vote.
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“If … the budget can be passed, then why fight to reconfigure council so close to an election that will more than likely redecide what it would look like, anyway.”
A reconfigured provincial and national government would more than likely influence coalitions and partnerships at local level and the insider failed to see the point of an all-out assault right now.
