Political parties are charged up in the fight to lead the City of Johannesburg.
The political landscape in Johannesburg could change on Thursday with Mayor Dada Morero facing another motion of no confidence and Helen Zille expected to make an announcement concerning the city.
Councillors in the Johannesburg municipal council will debate Morero’s fitness to hold office. This comes after Al Jama-ah and its minority party partners tabled a motion of no confidence against the mayor.
This motion was delayed for a few weeks to allow the speaker of the council to consult with lawyers after there was a request for the vote to be taken through a secret ballot.
The ANC’s regional spokesperson, Mantonmbi Nkosi, told The Citizen that her party is still engaging with its coalition partners in the hope that the motion is withdrawn in council on Thursday.
“The matter is also at national level and the office bearers are also dealing with it,” she said.
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How will other parties vote?
Meanwhile, the Minority Governing Parties (MGP), the group of parties that proposed the motion, confirmed to The Citizen that the motion will proceed.
PA deputy president Kenny Kunene said his party also has grievances with Morero, but said his party will continue to engage the ANC and the other coalition partners on a way forward.
“We are in a coalition with the ANC and we should ideally support an ANC mayor, but we have some grievances with this mayor,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EFF, which is the second largest party in the ANC’s coalition government, would not indicate if it would protect the mayor from the motion of no confidence. Its provincial chairperson in Gauteng, Nkululeko Dunga, said: “We will vote against the ANC on any item if an opportunity arises.”
It is not clear if Dunga was referring to the ANC in Johannesburg or in Ekurhuleni. The EFF left its coalition with the ANC in Ekurhuleni because of differences with the regional structure there.
The party had also recently indicated that it would not support the passing of the ANC budget in Gauteng because of how it is being treated in coalitions with the ANC.
The DA had not responded to questions on their stance regarding Thursday’s vote. But The Citizen understands that if the motion is not withdrawn, the party is likely to abstain.
ActionSA, which is not in a coalition with the ANC in Johannesburg, told The Citizen that it will not support a motion to remove the mayor if there is no plan for the city’s governance after the mayor’s removal.
“ActionSA does not support a motion of no confidence unless there is a viable and credible alternative that will be placed in government. A motion from the minority parties in Johannesburg seems like it would lack any credibility, both from a numerical point of view as well as a governance point of view. So, at this stage, it seems unlikely that we would support that,” said the party’s national chairperson, Michael Beaumont.
Uncertainty in Gauteng’s politics
Theo Neethling, a political analyst from University of Free State (UFS) told The Citizen that the EFF’s withdrawal of cooperation with the ANC significantly raises uncertainty in Gauteng’s political environment.
“Although the ANC governs the province, it relies – formally or informally – on support from smaller parties in councils and legislative processes. The EFF’s warning that it will cripple the ANC signals a willingness to use institutional leverage rather than rhetoric alone.
“When the ANC premier tables the Gauteng provincial budget, it is likely to face a highly contentious and politicised process due to the breakdown in cooperation with the EFF,” he said.
What will Zille say?
Meanwhile, Zille, who is the DA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, is expected to make an announcement in Soweto on Thursday.
There is speculation that she will be receiving people who are defecting from other parties into the DA, while some believe she will announce her decision not to contest for another term as the DA’s federal council chairperson.
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