Johannesburg – ActionSA says it held a senate meeting to discuss the approach to coalitions in the future, following the collapse of the multi-party government in Johannesburg and its growing concerns for the stability of the coalitions in Gauteng.
Last week, the Joburg multi-party coalition collapsed, when the ANC’s Dada Morero was elected mayor just days after the Cope’s Colleen Makhubele took charge as speaker, defeating a DA candidate - who was backed by the multi-party coalition.
The DA and ActionSA have been publicy blaming each other, and other minor parties, for the collapse of the multi-party coalition in Joburg.
ActionSA believed that the IFP should have been allowed to contest for speaker after Vasco Da Gama was ousted, but the DA insisted on fielding their own candidate again.
Ultimately, the Patriotic Alliance and Cope, voted with the ANC, to take back control of Johannesburg.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said: “Of particular concern was the need for coalitions to operate from a stable foundation that enabled service delivery and sufficient continuity to reverse decades of failed government.
“In short, coalitions that are constantly on the brink of collapse cannot effectively deliver services.”
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and the City of Tshwane were also part of the agenda of the meeting, unpacking matters that pose a threat to the stability of those coalitions.
Beaumont said: “The precarious nature of the minority coalition in Ekurhuleni formed part of the discussion.
“Earlier this year, ActionSA motivated the case for the multi-party coalition to engage other political parties in Ekurhuleni to secure the support required to approve budgets and survive motions of no confidence.
“This proposal was not accepted and therefore it will be critical for the coalition to provide leadership on how the Ekurhuleni multi-party coalition can sustain in the face of imminent motions of no confidence.”
Beaumont said the multi-party coalition in the City of Tshwane, while more secure in the composition of the council, remained a concern arising from the process of investigating the conduct of Mayor Randall Williams pertaining to the handling of the controversial unsolicited bid proposal.
He said the handling of the matter would be essential for the stability of the coalition in Tshwane.
Beaumont said the senate has come to the decision to review the party’s approach to coalitions in local government, in order to ensure that the collaborations are as fruitful as possible.
“The review would see ActionSA adopting a more pragmatic approach to coalitions, with a greater focus on programmes of service delivery and stability.
“To this end, the review would initiate discussions with all political parties represented in the Gauteng metros to identify areas of agreement and collaboration,” said Beaumont.
ActionSA will be engaging its coalition partners as part of the process of reviewing their approach, to discuss their concerns on what have been mutually agreed on, regarding service delivery, in order to prioritise things that have not been prioritised.
“It was a point of emphasis within the Senate that ActionSA initiated a bi-lateral engagement with the DA to assess whether the two parties could introspect with a view to improved collaboration.
“Finally, given that the instability of coalitions has been the cause of much distress for South Africans and that any approach ActionSA were to take in the future must be informed by the views of those that coalitions are meant to serve, the party will also be initiating dialogue with residents of Gauteng and the country at large.
“ActionSA believes that its involvement in coalitions must be premised on their ability to effectively deliver honest services to the residents of these municipalities in a stable manner. This must come first ahead of all other considerations,” said Beaumont.
IOL