Embattled City of Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse is set to face another motion of no confidence on Thursday.
This time, Phalatse’s odds of surviving are highly unlikely after talks with the Patriotic Alliance (PA) broke down.
According to ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont, the governing multi-party coalition will have a tough task fighting off the motion after negotiations with the DA regarding the PA collapsed.
“Final negotiations ultimately failed because the DA refused to listen to coalition partners who urged that the original proposal, agreed to by all the parties [including the DA] and accepted by the PA, should be honoured,” Beaumont said.
“This proposal would have restored the majority of the coalition, defeating the motion of no confidence and delivering some semblance of stability in Johannesburg.
“The actions of the DA reveal an organisation that did not want these negotiations to succeed. Rather than honouring a universally accepted proposal, the DA sought to brand the PA as corrupt.”
Beaumont said ActionSA will now seek support from coalition partners to have a new mayor elected within the organisation, suggesting that the DA’s failure calls for another party that will succeed in keeping the ANC out of power.
“The DA must decide whether they will support an ActionSA candidate for mayor or whether they will vote for the ANC. These can be the only choices for a party that has given up on leading in Johannesburg. The DA will have to account for its choice,” he said.
The City of Johannesburg council is made up of 270 seats, and for Phalatse to survive, she will need more than 136 votes.
Beaumont added that while it is not guaranteed that the mayor will be an ActionSA candidate, the party will advocate for an alternative leadership other than the ANC.
“ActionSA spares a thought for mayor Mpho Phalatse, who has been abandoned by her own party despite her determined efforts to lead this coalition government.”
Mayorship battle
Phalatse has been in the ring with council members over the mayorship battle for the past couple of months, after she was ousted through a motion of no confidence in September 2022.
She dragged the matter to court, where she contested the constitutionality of the manner in which the sitting that facilitated her removal was convened. She argued that the meeting was convened in an irregular manner and disputed the election of ANC’s Dada Morero as the new mayor.
She wanted the court to declare the city’s speaker Colleen Makhubele’s notice to convene the meeting unlawful and invalid. According to Phalatse, Makhubele did not follow the rules of council.
Phalatse argued further that the council rules warrant for motions of no confidence to be submitted 14 days prior to the meeting.
After Phalatse returned to office, another motion was tabled. However, it was put off the agenda after she threatened to take legal action against Makhubele, alleging that the speaker is harming the integrity of the city.
Some council members confirmed at the time that Phalatse may have survived the first motion but is set to face another one, which will be convened in a manner that satisfies constitutionality.
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