A tussle for power between the ANC and its minority party allies, including Al Jama-ah, on Tuesday led to a series of adjournments in chambers, leaving the country’s biggest metro leaderless for two more days.
As the parties represented in council continue to jostle for the position, political analysts say the metro’s more than 6-million residents continue to be short-changed on service delivery.
The position became vacant after the resignation of Al Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad last week, a day before he was about to face a motion of no confidence from the DA and ActionSA, who occupy the opposition benches.
Both opposition parties and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) — which is part of the government of local unity ruling coalition — claim Amad was out of his depth in the key position.
The mayor’s election was adjourned to Friday.
The delay to elect Amad’s successor was mainly due to the ANC wanting to field its own mayoral candidate, with Al Jama-ah and COPE said to also be interested in the position, sources told Business Day.
Business Day understands that after talks, the ANC and EFF agreed Al Jama-ah councillor Kabelo Gwamanda would be their mayoral candidate.
AIC councillor and spokesperson for the minority parties in council Margaret Arnolds confirmed the information about Gwamanda being their mayoral candidate was “correct”.
However, she would not be drawn further on the matter, saying only: “Let’s see what happens on Friday.”
ANC Johannesburg regional chair and caucus leader Dada Morero, the party’s regional
secretary Sasabona Manganye, and EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga could not be reached for comment.
By 5pm, the council meeting, which started at 10am, had not yet elected a new political head for the metro.
Leadership in the city has changed twice since the local government elections in 2021 failed to produce an outright winner in Gauteng’s three
metros of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.
DA councillor Mpho Phalatse was ousted in a no-confidence vote in January and replaced by Amad, who spent just under 100 days in office before resigning.
The ructions in Johannesburg again highlight the instability of coalitions in the country, with political analysts arguing that they are now more about hogging political positions than delivering services to the metro’s residents.
The fight for the mayoral position is not limited to the
governing coalition only. Opposition parties were also at sixes and sevens on who to back for the mayoral post.
The DA said it would field Phalatse again as its mayoral candidate, while ActionSA is backing its caucus leader and Gauteng chair, Funzi Ngobeni, for the position.
ActionSA councillor Nkuli Mbundu said members of the coalition — except for the DA — had all backed Ngobeni as “our multiparty candidate”.
“This was done through extensive consultation among the parties, acknowledging each party as an equal.
“The DA has decided to unilaterally nominate Mpho Phalatse as their candidate, knowing very well she does not have the numbers required to win,” Mbundu said.
collapse
ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said on Tuesday his party and the DA “do not have a coalition” in the metro.
“The coalition collapsed after failing to establish majority to prevent the removal of former mayor, Mpho Phalatse. The DA refused the inclusion of PA to give us majority,” Mashaba said.
The ANC-EFF coalition — which includes the PA, AIC, UDM, PAC, and PA — have a combined 137 seats in the Johannesburg council, while the DA, IFP, ACDP, ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus and UIM hold 133 of the 270 council seats.
In another development on Tuesday, PA president Gayton McKenzie resigned as executive mayor of the Central Karoo after a year at the helm of the district municipality, raising speculation that his name might also be in the mix for the Johannesburg mayor’s job.
contesting
But McKenzie was quick to shrug off the suggestion saying he wanted to focus on growing the party nationally.
“I am resigning because I stated at my inauguration that I would serve for only a year and the marking of that year has arrived today [Tuesday],” he said in a statement.
PA spokesperson Steve Motale said McKenzie would henceforth focus on national issues.
“His focus is to be a leading figure in national politics. He will be contesting the presidency in next year’s elections. That’s his focus and that’s where we will be channelling all our energies from now on,” Motale said.
mkentanel@businesslive.co.za
137
the number of seats held by the ruling coalition in Johannesburg led by the ANC and EFF
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