By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) has reportedly rejected the EFF’s coalition proposal of dividing control of Gauteng’s three major metros between the ANC, EFF and ActionSA.
The City Press reported on Sunday that the EFF’s proposal of a power-sharing deal that would see the ANC retain Ekurhuleni, while ActionSA takes over the City of Johannesburg and the EFF governing Tshwane – was rejected by the NEC during its special meeting held last weekend at Saint George’s Hotel in Irene, Centurion.
The NEC is the ANC’s highest decision-making body in between conferences.
The publication cited sources who said the ANC’s Gauteng bloc was against the EFF’s coalition proposal, which was presented by the governing party’s national negotiation team.
“The negotiations were done by the national office and when they presented the EFF’s proposal, the NEC rejected it,” an ANC NEC member was quoted as saying.
Another source claimed that the ANC would have no choice but to agree to the EFF’s demands because, as things stood, the party needed the EFF to retain control of Ekurhuleni.
Speaking in Nkululekweni, Mthatha, yesterday, EFF leader Julius Malema confirmed that coalition talks between his party and others were at an advanced stage.
“We hope that by Monday, at the latest, the negotiations will be done so that there’s clarity. Our people can’t hang around for a long time. Either we’re in or we’re not,” he said.
He was in Mthatha to greet AbaThembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo and present him with a R1.8 million black SUV Mercedes-Benz GLE coupé which he had promised him before the local government election.
Following last week’s local government elections, the ANC’s national support dipped low 50% for the first time since the dawn of democracy.
The party failed to win an outright majority in Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni – as well as in 66 other hung councils – following the trend that emerged from the 2016 municipal elections.
The EFF and newcomer ActionSA are the kingmakers in Gauteng’s metros and the ANC will need their support if they want to govern the municipalities. But ActionSA has stood firm that it would not work with the ANC.
On Saturday, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said his party’s senate – ActionSA’s highest decision-making body – met on Friday evening and rejected the EFF’s power-sharing deal, due to the ANC’s involvement.
Mashaba said the EFF wanted to bring the ANC back in power through the backdoor, and they would not stand for it.