Coalition for Gauteng ‘a compromise’
MAJOR metros in Gauteng including Johannesburg and Tshwane will have to go into coalition again under the leadership of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president.
In an ANC statement, the party admitted that their recent experience with coalitions led by the opposition has not been positive.
“Most of these coalitions were led by the opposition have been untidy, messy and premised on gaining power as an ends in itself. This has resulted in unstable and self-serving ‘marriages of convenience’,” read the statement.
In the City of Johannesburg, the ANC will have to make do with around 35% of the vote as in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, which have not reached the 40% mark. In Emfuleni they gained only 39% of the vote, showing a pattern of decline after much euphoria when the “New Dawn” was promised by Ramaphosa.
ANC Youth League Greater Joburg Regional spokesperson Penuel Maduna said most of the municipalities are going in the direction of parties compromising on their policies in order to comply with coalition deals.
“If the party does not improve on how it does things like senior leaders fighting on national media, using state resources to settle political scores, purging of those who disagree with those in power and the exclusion of young people, the ANC won’t be in power in the next five years,” Maduna said.
He said branches of the ANC in Joburg also needed to start looking at and questioning the capabilities of those leading the region as there has been a loss of municipalities.
On voter turnout of the youth – a vital sector – he said young mostly black Africans choose not to vote because of lack of voter education.
They feel the political system is for older people as most key positions in the political and government sector are dominated by older people.
Their younger peers are sidelined, which creates an ageist impression among the youth, he said.
Maduna said the ANC, under its current leadership, also did not look carefully at the effects of the Fees Must Fall and free education campaign, as it was an elective conference policy resolution.
“The ANC has shown it has no plans to implement free tertiary education and (address) the painful struggles young people are subjected to in their quest to get education,” he said.
He said the absence of a radical youth league, which has never reached its previous heights after its national executive committee elected in 2015 was disbanded in 2019, is hurting the party.
University of Johannesburg’s politics and international relations Professor Siphamandla Zondi, said there are many reasons for people choosing to participate in the country’s electoral democracy by shunning it.
Among them are people not seeing an alternative to the ANC, a sort of protest vote against the party, and a voting citizenry that voted but have not seen any dividends.
He said the ANC now has to negotiate with coalitions by the pattern of election results, just as other parties.
“The president together with the entire top six and the national executive committee carry the collective responsibility for this performance and I hope they were deeply introspective. The ANC General Council should reflect critically and chart the way forward. The entire democracy in South Africa is under strain as it has failed to produce the dividends citizens expect,” Zondi said.