Instability in metros ‘won’t sink GNU’, says DA

Political instability, chaos and suffering of residents are predicted to become common features in the country’s metros and other municipalities as the bitter fallout between the ANC and DA threatens to engulf the local government sphere.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said yesterday his party would ensure the country comes first. He made it clear that government of national unity (GNU) was safe, but the fallout with the ANC in Tshwane would also affect their “stability agreement” in all other municipalities where they agreed to cooperate.

The party understood that the GNU agreement was not going to be cascaded to local government level, he said.

‘The country comes first’ – Steenhuisen on GNU

This week, DA federal council chair Helen Zille had also threatened that her party would pull out of the “stability agreement” it entered into with the ANC at the local government level.

Zille demanded that the ANC should support the reinstatement of former DA Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink but the ANC refused and instead opted to back ActionSA councillor Dr Nasiphi Moya, who was subsequently elected as mayor.

Political analyst Prof Lesiba Teffo said in the ensuing chaos, it was residents and the poor who would suffer the most because services would not be rendered where they were most needed.

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As such, political instability was bound to happen in Tshwane and other metros.

“What is happening there presents a much bigger problem that will take us back. People are still going to suffer, there is no way that this incoming group in Tshwane and elsewhere will make a difference.

“For them, it’s about the supply chair – which means focusing on tenders and financial resources to finance their expensive lifestyles,” Teffo said.

Political instability bound to happen

“I have no example to think of where the ANC comrades did better. We need to ask ourselves, why the DA is governing well wherever it is in government, but only in Tshwane it is said to be failing?

“People are not gullible any more, they know that it’s not the DA. The water shortages in Hammanskraal started 15 to 20 years ago under the ANC.

“The lack of service delivery will be accompanied by a power struggle and chaos in council meetings as before.

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“The problem in these metros are politically belligerent civil servants and politically illiterate politicians who would rather destroy the municipality to pursue their own selfish interests,” Teffo said.

While he did not rule out political instability, another analyst, Prof Dirk Kotzé from the University of South Africa argued all would depend on whether the ANC-ActionSA-EFF coalition would be able to stay together.

“It depends on the three parties. They can stabilise the municipalities if they can work together. But both the EFF and ActionSA have previously reneged on their commitments to coalitions. That will be the main test of the new administration,” Kotze said.

Tshwane’s situation depends on ANC-ActionSA-EFF coalition

Steenhuisen reiterated Zille’s statement that the DA would not entertain any negotiation with the ANC unless the Brink issue was resolved.

He emphasised that GNU was safe and the outstanding issues were surrounding the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (Bela) which posed an existential threat for the GNU.

A consultation process has been initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa to iron out the differences over the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill and a technical committee will be established to pursue the matter.

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The time had arrived for the GNU to make tough decisions, including whether to continue perpetually bailing out state-owned enterprises, Steenhuisen said.

“After 100 days, the GNU is on the cusp of making its most important strategic choices.

“The DA is determined to ensure that every choice that is made will drive growth up, bring unemployment down and foster new hope for a better life for South Africans. That is the reason we entered the GNU 100 days ago and it remains our purpose today,” Steenhuisen said.

100 days of GNU

The ANC lost an outright majority for the first time in the cities of Joburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2016 local government elections.

This was followed by instability, with some of the metros failing to pass budgets and constantly voting out mayors.