By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The City of Johannesburg is set to elect a new executive mayor on Friday after failing to do so in special council meeting earlier today.
Council Speaker Colleen Makhubele has adjourned council meeting on the basis that political parties were not ready to elect a mayor.
She said that she hoped that during this time, the parties would conclude negotiations with their coalition partners.
“This whole day we’ve been all over the place. Clearly, we are not ready to elect an executive mayor and it’s worrying but it’s clear to me that the readiness of this council to conduct the business of the day in question. I’m therefore adjourning this meeting.”
Thapelo Amad stepped down from the role after just weeks in the position.
Amad served as the city’s number one citizen for just three months.
The two central coalitions in the Johannesburg council, led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC), were in disarray ahead of the vote.
The DA announced its caucus leader Mpho Phalatse as its mayoral candidate, much to the frustration of its coalition partners.
ActionSA national chairperson Micheal Beaumont said the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) would be supporting the party’s councillor Funzi Ngobeni for mayor.
The ANC camp was undecided on whether to go with another candidate from a smaller party, following Amad’s unsuccessful reign.
As a result,a stalemate ensued within the ANC caucus in the City of Johannesburg council when the party’s councillors disagreed on who to vote for as the mayor.
The party requested a three-hour adjournment of the council sitting, which started at 10:00.
Around 5:30pm, Al-Jamah-ah councillor Imraan Ismail Moosa asked for another one hour break, much to the frustration of some parties.
“Let the process like it unfolded the whole day. Every party had its opportunity… Al-Jamah-ah needs its opportunity now,” he said.
ActionSA councillor Lerato Ngobeni pleaded for the latest attempt to delay proceedings be rejected.
“With all due respect speaker, councillors have been here since the morning with the hope that the residents of Joburg will have a new mayor by the end of this day. Speaker, may we reiterate your own words that this house would emerge from this meeting having done so,” Ngobeni said.
The city has seen nine elected mayors not completing a full term since Parks Tau in 2016.
ANC councillors are said to be undecided on whether to vote for ANC Greater Johannesburg region chairperson Dada Morero; council speaker and Cope member Colleen Makhubela; or another Al Jama-Ah member, Kabelo Gwamanda.
What appears to have complicated the ANC’s decision is the party’s national executive committee (NEC) framework on coalitions, which was adopted last week.The framework states that the party that received the most votes should take charge of the coalition and have the mayoral seat.
As such, councillors in the metro are understood to have told the party’s provincial leadership that in line with the framework, Morero has to be put forward as the ANC’s candidate.
However, it needs the support of Cope and Al Jamah-Ah to secure enough votes to retain its leadership.
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