It’s not all plain sailing in Ekurhuleni despite return of DA mayor – Mashaba
IN SPITE of Tania Campbell’s return as Ekurhuleni mayor, her government could face a number of challenges, with ActionSA expected to pull out of the coalition.
The city is facing service delivery challenges because of governance instability in the municipality. The DA was expecting to start propelling service delivery after the multi-party coalition’s return to power.
The coalition’s return to power was facilitated by a fallout between the ANC and the EFF after the ANC reneged on an agreement to vote a Red Berets candidate into the mayoral position in exchange for EFF support in the City of Joburg.
The Star spoke to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who said the party would be holding a media briefing today to indicate some decisions it had taken as well as concerns about the Ekurhuleni coalition.
“One of the items is ActionSA’s participation in Ekurhuleni. We are
concerned to participate in a minority government. You are always in a vulnerable position (as a minority government) and this is a major concern as every time we are removed it affects our credibility,” Mashaba said.
He said ActionSA had told Campbell not to include the ActionSA MMC on her mayoral committee until his party had deliberated over the latest political developments.
Equally, Mashaba said he was concerned about the coalition arrangement in the City of Joburg. He said the DA-led coalition did not have strong numbers that would shield Mayor
Mpho Phalatse from a motion of no confidence. He said developments in Ekurhuleni would likely affect the City of Joburg.
“We are not really sure that they will take the same posture in Johannesburg … in the event that they take the same posture the coalition arrangement may still be in place,” Mashaba said.
He was also worried that even if the EFF was to ensure the DA’s grip in Johannesburg, the coalition could also be a minority government.
“These are issues that will be ventilated at the press conference,” he said.
Mashaba said it was up to the DA to negotiate with the EFF. He said when he was mayor of the City of Joburg, he had a good relationship with the EFF.
“It’s not up to us to make that call; it’s up to the DA to decide whether they want the EFF or not,” Mashaba said.
Mashaba said the party was concerned about the poor levels of service delivery in Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.