ANC, DA look for coalitions in big metros
Malema threatens to block attempts at DA/FF + tie-up
THE ANC and DA in Gauteng are set to hold crucial meetings this weekend to decide on their coalition partners following their failure to secure majority votes in the big metros of Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
Adding more woes to the ANC, the party also failed to obtain majority votes in smaller municipalities of Lesedi Local Municipality in Heidelberg, Merafong Local Municipality in Carletonville, and Rand West Local Municipality comprising Westonaria and Randfontein in the 2021 municipal elections.
During the 2016 municipal elections the ANC obtained more than 52% percent of the votes. Lesedi was the highest with 62.8%, but has dropped to 50.43 in 2021. Others fell below 50% in the latest municipal elections.
It was only at Mogale City Local Municipality in Krugersdorp where the party secured 48.84% in 2016 which forced it to form a coalition government.
Five years later and no ANC controlled municipality in Gauteng received an outright majority. Unlike the DA, which is still firmly in control of Midvaal Local Municipality in Meyerton in the Vaal. The party won Midvaal by more than 62% of the votes, which would allow the party’s mayoral candidate, Peter Teixeira, to be sworn-in without any challenge.
In what appears to be desperate moves to gain some control in these municipalities, both the ANC and DA will be locked in separate meetings aimed at developing strategies to negotiate with other parties to form coalition governments.
The ANC has scheduled its extended national working committee (NWC) meeting starting today until Sunday.
The Gauteng ANC top leadership of provincial chairperson David Makhura and provincial secretary Jacob Khawe will be part of the watershed meeting. Makhura had earlier in the week warned they would be ready to sit on the opposition benches if they could not find any suitable partners.
“We are not desperate to be in government at all costs. We do not want to be in government for its own sake, but to pursue a socio-economic transformation agenda that will improve the lives of the working class and the poor communities,” Makhura said.
The Gauteng ANC had a meeting last night to determine possible partners but a final decision would be taken by the NWC this weekend.
Unlike the ANC, the DA’s federal executive under Helen Zille is due to meet on Sunday. Afterwards, all their party leaders will get directives from Zille on their possible coalition partners.
The DA, however, was looking for possible coalition partners with the FF+ and ActionSA. FF+ has made significant improvement in all the Gauteng metros, including the smaller municipalities. In Tshwane, the FF+ has gained 17 seats from four in 2016.
In Ekurhuleni, FF+ led by Jennifer Anne Glover has grown from two seats in 2016 to seven seats in 2021.
In Joburg, FF+ has grown from one seat in 2016 to four in 2021.
Yesterday, Glover said her party was ready to form a coalition with the DA but ruled out any with the ANC and EFF.
This prompted EFF party leader Julius Malema to threaten to block any coalition between the DA and FF+ in Gauteng, especially in Tshwane, dubbing it a potentially “racist coalition.”
Addressing media at the IEC national results operation centre in Pretoria, Malema gave an indirect indication that his party might co-operate with the ANC in Tshwane to block a DA-led coalition.
The other condition set down by Malema was that his party’s coalition partner must also agree to provide drinkable and clean water to Hammanskraal residents within the next six months.
The IFP and Patriotic Alliance have also made significant improvements in their representation in the City of Joburg and may also influence any decision on a coalition government. The PAC has also made a significant return to local government politics after managing to secure six seats including in the metros.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa said last night that local government “must be a force for good, for development and for progress.”
Speaking at the closing ceremony and the announcement of results, Ramaphosa said: “If we are to make this a new and better era, we, as leaders, must put aside our differences and work together in a spirit of partnership and common purpose. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: to better the lives of the South African people.”
Addressing incoming municipal leaders, Ramaphosa added: “Public representatives need to be more visible and active in our communities. They need to focus on implementation and make the people partners in development. We owe it to millions of South Africans who dream of a better SA.”
JULIUS Malema has warned the ANC that the EFF will not enter into coalitions if the governing party does not vote with it to amend the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC’s) national results operations centre in Pretoria yesterday, the EFF said the expropriation of land without compensation was non-negotiable for the EFF.
“Ourselves and the ANC actually agree on that, but the ANC of (President Cyril) Ramaphosa goes to Parliament and then summersaults. We should have amended the Constitution by now if Cyril had not sold out,” he said.
Malema said Ramaphosa was going to have to vote with the EFF on the expropriation of land without compensation in Parliament before the ANC and the EFF could talk about possible coalitions.
“That’s number one, we want our land back. The conditions are such that we vote together in Parliament to expropriate the land without compensation and make the state the custodian of the land,” he said.
“If we were selling out and we liked positions and we liked things we could have exchanged mayorships by now.
“They were here on the floor (national results operations centre) and they said to our comrades, ‘Guys, anything you want. Anything, just tell us what you want, we’ll do it so that we can take over these things again,’” he said.
“We said, ‘Wait. We don’t want anything, we’re fine. We’ll talk, let the dust settle.’”
He also accused the DA and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) of hating the EFF for the land issue because “they want white minorities to keep or hold on to the land, and we say no we are not agreeing to that”.
“We are using every means and everything available to us to make sure that our land is expropriated without compensation within the constitutional means. History is amending the Constitution, we are using this election outcome to try to amend the Constitution. That’s historic,” he said.
Malema further warned the DA and the FF+ about setting up what he described as a “racist municipality” in the City of Tshwane after the parties suggested that they would not be open to forming coalitions with the EFF or the Patriotic Alliance.
“It’s a racist posture that they have taken.”