‘ANC coalition worse than DA coalition’: PA rejects Joburg budget

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) in Johannesburg has described a coalition with the African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Figters (EFF) as worse than a coalition with the DA.

The PA said it was infuriated by the budget speech of Finance MMC, Dada Morero, on Tuesday, 14 May.

Budget speech debate: PA slams ANC-EFF coalition

During the budget speech debate on Wednesday, PA councillor Lois Simonse accused the ANC of disrespect.

“It was very difficult to be in a government with the DA because they were de-campaigning us while we were supposed to be governing with them. Perhaps, we should not be surprised that it is now becoming worse under the ANC and the Finance MMC,” Simonse said.

PA constituencies not represented in budget

The councillor Simonse complained that PA constituencies were not represented in the budget.

These areas include Eldorado Park, Westbury, Finetown and Ennerdale.

“In the whole budget, the wards governed by the PA has not received anything…. Kliptown referred to in this budget is situated in Region D while the other parts of Region G remain neglected,” she said.

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‘We are being taken for granted’ – PA

Simonse reminded the ANC and the EFF that the PA was responsible for their return after the DA-led multi-party coalition collapsed.

“As the PA, we are the ones that essentially brought the GLU [Government of Local Unity] to life and today we are being taken for granted. At no point did we even have input in this budget,” she remarked.

Simonse said the PA had joined the ANC-EFF coalition because at the time they thought it would be best for the residents of Johannesburg.

“We joined the government because we believed it had a very real potential to bring service delivery transformation and hopefully a way forward for our people who have been taken for granted for decades,” Simonse continued.

PA slams ANC as ‘arrogant’

The PA declined to vote for the budget. Simonse also described the ANC as “arrogant” and appealed to voters to vote for the PA.

Meanwhile, the DA has described the PA as “flip-floppers” who were only interested in positions and not in actual service delivery.

It is not clear at this stage whether this public attack on the GLU by the PA would lead to the party withdrawing from the coalition.

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