Hung council – this is what will happen

By now, everyone knows that the City of Johannesburg was declared a hung council after the elections on 3 August. The question now is, what does this mean and how will it work?

According to John Moodey, member of the provincial legislation for the DA, they are in the process of negotiating with the smaller opposition parties to form a coalition. “Minority parties need to work together to make the new system of coalition or cooperative governing possible. If we can make this work and prove to the people we mean what we say and fulfill our promises, it would be a huge success for the South African democratic system,” he said.

“Negotiations are fairly well progressed already and are looking favourable. I am quite optimistic about reaching consensus with the smaller parties. This is not just about position but about the manifestos of the parties and making sure the promises they made can be delivered. Our manifestos have a lot of similarities and middle ground can be reached on many issues. When parties govern together it is about give and take – you cannot just give, you expect something in return, but the most important thing is the interests of the people and making them happy,” Moodey said.

The parties have another seven days to conclude negotiations. After that, the governance structure of Mayorship, Speakership and so on will be implemented.

Jolidee Mathongo, the regional spokesperson for the ANC, said the ANC is an organisation that carries the hopes of the people of the City of Johannesburg on its shoulders. “We remain optimistic that the ANC will be able to retain the governance of the City of Johannesburg. We are in talks with a few of the smaller parties to form coalitions. If these talks fail, the law is there to provide guidance on how to proceed. People are asked to not post rumours on social media about this or that party already agreeing on coalitions as it only creates confusion,” said Mathongo.

All the negotiations will be finalised by 20 August, and the outcome thereof will be announced at the inaugural council meeting.

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