Joburg and Ekurhuleni examples of ‘failed’ coalitions
DEPUTY Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela said two metros, the City of Joburg and City of Ekurhuleni, were a clear result that coalition governments were not the answer for citizens.
Manamela said they were unsustainable, creating delays in service delivery and policymaking as well as leadership inconsistency.
The residents in the two metros have been complaining about a lack of service delivery, load shedding, water outages, crime and inconsistent billing of electricity and water.
Recently, ANC and EFF councillors came to blows at an Ekurhuleni council meeting over the mayor’s no-confidence vote.
This was after ActionSA had put forward a motion of no confidence in mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana owing to his “failure” to deliver services to the people of Ekurhuleni.
In Johannesburg, residents have experienced water outages for two weeks due to the malfunction of Eikenhof, one of the biggest pump stations in the province. The ANC and EFF are in a coalition government in the two metros.
“Before we had coalitions in Joburg and Ekurhuleni, both those metros were the most stable, yes with challenges, but they had a very good track record in terms of delivering water, electricity, refuse removal, and others.
“But as a result of some of the instabilities, inconsistencies and anxiety caused by coalition arrangements in these municipalities, we have seen how unstable they have become,” Manamela said.
He made the remarks during a media briefing yesterday at the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg to unpack Priority 4 of the ANC’s election manifesto.
The manifesto outlines how the ANC aims to invest in people by meeting basic needs for all, investing in education, improving health outcomes, improving service delivery and expanding the use of science and technology.
Manamela said this should be taken as a lesson that coalitions do not work and should be prevented at national government level.