Panyaza Lesufi became premier with the help of the DA, but things changed when he refused to give them the positions they wanted.
EFF leader Julius Malema says the ANC is divided over the inclusion of the DA in the coalition government in Gauteng.
According to Malema, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula wants the DA to become part of government in Gauteng, but this has been challenged by a faction led by the province’s premier, Panyaza Lesufi.
The DA was meant to become part of the ruling coalition in Gauteng after the 2024 general elections, but there were differences with the ANC’s provincial leaders about how many MEC positions the DA should get in the coalition arrangement.
“Mbalula does not care, he wants the Gauteng government to collapse so that he can once more say I told you to bring these people into the fold…you were supposed to bring the DA,” Malema claimed.
More allegations of factional battles
Malema said he has confidence in Lesufi’s leadership and there was no need for the ANC to disband their Gauteng leadership structure and introduce a Provincial Task Team (PTT).
The PTT was introduced in response to the ANC’s decline in Gauteng. They received 34% of the vote in the 2024 general elections.
“They were running very smoothly, there was no problem. They were running a solid machine, there was no problem. These guys went to disrupt it deliberately because the intention was that the ANC must fail in Gauteng, so that we could be proven right, and then we would no longer negotiate with them about the DA. We are going to impose the DA,” he said.
Is Malema making empty threats?
Malema said the EFF will not be voting in favour of the budget in Gauteng because of tensions between them and the ANC at national level.
“You are not getting our votes, and it is going to be like that for a very long time.”
Malema claimed the EFF has been undermined in their municipal coalitions in Gauteng. He used Johannesburg as an example, saying that the EFF has been given the least powerful positions.
Why does the EFF support the ANC in Gauteng?
He said the EFF also feels used in the Gauteng legislature, as it has been supporting the ANC-led minority government without benefiting much from the arrangement.
“We do not have a single MEC, but we are voting for a budget that is going to serve PA, Bosa, and IFP people. Politically, how do we justify that?” he asked.
He said the EFF has been supporting the minority government in Gauteng for the benefit of “the people”, but would soon next to explain their support while not being part of the coalition.
There have been allegations that the EFF would benefit through contracts and other ways if they supported the ANC’s budget in the province. But these have not been proven.
Because the ANC in Gauteng is in a minority government, it must seek support from opposition parties, such as the EFF, to pass reports and budgets.
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