FF Plus to follow ActionSA and ditch DA to work with ANC in City of Tshwane?

Ahead of next Wednesday’s vote to elect a new mayor in the City of Tshwane, the African National Congress (ANC) is reportedly seeking the backing of the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus).

The Tshwane council is expected to elect Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Cilliers Brink’s successor following his recent removal from the mayoral office.

Brink was voted out through a motion of no confidence last Thursday after serving as the mayor of Tshwane since March 2023.

ANC in talks with FF Plus over City of Tshwane mayor post

While the DA is set to nominate Brink again as their mayoral candidate, discussions among various political parties regarding the new leadership in the City of Tshwane have been ongoing.

The ANC has approached FF Plus in its efforts to secure the mayoral position in Tshwane, Sunday Times has reported.

Negotiations between the two parties are taking place not just over Tshwane, but across all levels of government and are believed to be at an advanced stage.

ALSO READ: Will City of Tshwane elect a new mayor next week?

However, according to FF Plus spokesperson Wouter Wessels, no outcome has been reached yet as there has not been any “formal engagement on national level”.

ANC national leaders are reportedly scheduled to meet with both Gauteng and Tshwane regional leaders on Monday to discuss the future of the metropolitan municipality.

The FF Plus previously condemned Brink’s ousting as Tshwane mayor, criticising ActionSA for leaving the multi-party coalition that included the DA.

ANC-ActionSA talks collapsed?

However, the negotiations with FF Plus could cast doubt on the ANC’s alliance with ActionSA.

Before Brink’s ousting, both the ANC and ActionSA had declared plans to field mayoral candidates, leading ActionSA to threaten withdrawal.

READ MORE: Mashaba denies tension between ActionSA and ANC over mayoral position in Tshwane

The ANC, meanwhile, expressed a preference for ActionSA councillor Nasiphi Moya to retain her role as Tshwane’s deputy mayor.

The party is reportedly advocating for Eugene “Bonzo” Modise and Kgosi Maepa, the current and former Tshwane regional chairpersons respectively, as potential replacements for Brink.

DA threatens to leave GNU

City Press reported that the ANC had also been in discussions with the DA, but those negotiations have stalled.

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille told the publication that her party had not received further communication from the ANC regarding Tshwane, amid speculation that national and provincial leaders were at odds over the city’s future.

READ MORE: You will never dictate terms to ANC members, Lesufi tells Zille

This week, the DA threatened to exit the Government of National Unity (GNU) in response to Brink’s ousting.

Zille accused the ANC in Gauteng of jeopardising the future of the GNU, sparking a heated exchange between her and Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

She warned the DA would withdraw from all negotiations concerning other metropolitan municipalities, including eThekwini and Ekurhuleni, if Brink did not return.

City of Tshwane council composition

The DA, ActionSA, IFP, FF Plus, and ACDP had entered into a coalition agreement in Tshwane following the 2021 local government elections.

The current composition of the Tshwane council is as follows: the ANC holds 75 seats, the DA has 69, the EFF holds 23, and ActionSA has 19.

The FF Plus follows with 17 seats, while the ACDP has two.

The AIC, ATM, Cope, Good, IFP, Patriotic Alliance (PA), Republican Conference of Tshwane (RC), Defenders of the People (DOP), and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) each have one seat.

NOW READ: Mashaba says ActionSA shouldn’t be blamed for Brink removal as Tshwane mayor, DA vows to fight on