Pretoria - The City of Ekurhuleni is next in line to fall under the ANC’s governance following the collapse of the DA-led coalition in the City of Joburg.
This is according to ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson, Bongani Baloyi, who addressed a media briefing on the party’s new role as the opposition in the City of Joburg, following the axing of DA-led coalition mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse last week.
Phalatse was axed after the Patriotic Alliance (PA), despite being a coalition partner, voted with the ANC and other minority parties on a motion of no confidence against her.
The opposition parties then elected ANC Joburg regional chairperson, Dada Morero, as the new mayor.
Morero was the sole candidate, but the DA has now threatened to take legal action and challenge his election, arguing that the council which elected him was unlawful and illegal.
Yesterday, ActionSA also said the council sitting was illegal, claiming the programming committee that agreed on the meeting did not quorate. However, the party made it clear that it would not be part of the court action.
ActionSA put the blame on the collapse of the coalition squarely at the DA’s doorstep.
National chairperson Michael Beaumont said the chaos began when the official opposition’s leadership refused to listen to coalition partners.
“After the removal of Vasco da Gama as speaker of council, members of the coalition parties agreed that we should nominate an IFP candidate for speaker. All the parties, except the DA, agreed. They said we should go ahead with our nominee and they would select their own candidate for the position,” Beaumont said.
All ActionSA leaders – Baloyi, Beaumont and Funzi Ngobeni – insisted the DA was responsible for the collapse of the coalition in Joburg.
Ngobeni also detailed how Phalatse tried to save the situation by attempting to accede to the coalition partners proposals, but it failed. “Mayor Phalatse tried to save the situation … She called us to a meeting just before the election of the speaker and said she was considering our proposal of appointing an IFP candidate as speaker.
“She then phoned her national leadership, but they refused. We wanted to give the position to Phalatse, but her party told all of us to go to hell,” Ngobeni said.
According to Ngobeni, some of the senior leaders of the DA also accused Phalatse of having good relations with ActionSA. He said they even objected to their concepts of “Are Sebetseng” (Let us Work) which was championed by Phalatse as mayor.
Despite their refusal, ActionSA leaders said they and the IFP voted for the DA candidate. The PA voted with the opposition parties and elected Cope’s Colleen Makhubele as speaker of the council.
Following the election of Makhubele and Morero in Joburg, Baloyi warned that the DA-led coalition in Ekurhuleni was also on the edge. “That is a minority government. We understand that the EFF and ANC have an agreement to take over the City of Ekurhuleni.”
Baloyi also indicated that the same could happen in Tshwane pending the outcome of two investigations against mayor Randall Williams.
“We are expecting a report by the end of October by the national coalition committee on the two investigations against the mayor,” Baloyi said.
ActionSA indicated that their top leadership would meet this weekend to make important decisions on the party’s relationship in the coalition government, including the possibility of forming new liaisons.
Baloyi, however, emphasised that they no longer have a coalition in Joburg, but did not rule out the possibility of becoming the opposition in Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.
Pretoria News