By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ActionSA has announced it will now work with the African National Congress (ANC) in the City of Johannesburg – based on a number of several conditions.
Johannesburg is currently governed by self-titled government of local unity (GLU) (a coalition between the ANC, Economic Freedom Fighters [EFF], Patriotic Alliance [PA] and minority parties) under the leadership of Al-Jama ah’s Kabelo Gwamanda.
However, the GLU has increasingly been at odds with itself, which was exacerbated since the formation of the national GNU, which excludes some of the key GLU partners, including the EFF.
Notably, the EFF has recently not voted with its coalition partners in Johannesburg, particularly on the proposal of an R2.5-billion loan from the Agence Française de Développement spearheaded by the ANC, which caused some friction.
Over time, there has been mounting pressure for the Al-Jama ah mayor (who is one of three councillors from his party in the council) to step down.
Recently, the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance, made up of numerous civil society organisations, demanded Gwamanda’s resignation, citing “inadequate leadership amidst a worsening governance crisis” in the country’s economic hub.
ActionSA – a party which holds a significant portion of seats in the three fragmented Gauteng metro councils – announced at a press briefing on 22 July that it will now support the ANC in the City of Johannesburg to form a new government.
The party said it will support the ANC in Johannesburg on several conditions, namely:
- The removal of Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda;
- Immediate reversal of the R200 surcharge imposed by City Power on prepaid users;
- Introduction of a series of motions aimed at addressing key frontline service delivery issues, including infrastructure renewal and rejuvenation of the Inner City;
- Have the ANC facilitate the resignation of the current ATM Speaker in the City of Tshwane.
ActionSA has previously said it would not work with the ANC, but the party explained the arrangement with the ANC was not a coalition agreement, as it would not take up any seats in the executive and remain a “constructive opposition.”
However, in exchange for their support, Action SA would “take up a number of positions in the legislature so that we have the platform to hold any new government to account.”
“Once we have concluded [with the formation of a new government in Johannesburg], we will move on to Ekurhuleni and Tshwane,” said ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba.
Action SA, which has 44 seats in the Joburg Council, has been the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) coalition partner both in the opposition and in government in the city since the 2021 local government elections.
But the party said it believed its seats could be of good use in government, announcing it would join hands with the ANC to run the city on a case-by-case basis.
ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont said that this was spurred after the ANC approached the party to solicit their support for a new government in the City of Johannesburg, given that they hold a crucial 44 out of the 270 seats in the council.
“We will supply our 44 votes in Johannesburg metro to the government on an issue-by-issue basis, with the meritorious consideration of the issue at hand only,” Beaumont said.
This put the ANC in an awkward situation, prompting them to look for alternatives for a ‘stable government’ with local government elections just over two years away after they dropped over 17 percentage points in the recent national elections.
The ANC, which holds the most amount of seats in the city’s council, is itching to get its way back into the helm of the city’s government – and is looking for those who could back them for this, given that many in their current GLU refuse to be under an ANC mayor (particularly the EFF).
This is likely to result in the nomination of the ANC in Johannesburg’s caucus leader and current MMC for Finance, Dada Morero, for mayor.