Johannesburg – Political parties were frantically scrambling this past weekend to strike last-minute coalition deals in the country’s 66 hung municipalities, as the Thursday deadline to hold council meetings looms.
Sunday World understands that the DA and ActionSA looked set to finalise details of a possible deal to take over the Cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane as the ANC was today set to meet the EFF, which could derail the DA and ActionSA’s plan should the ANC agree to give the EFF the running of Tshwane.
It has emerged that both the DA and ActionSA have agreed in principle that they should ensure that the governing party does not govern in the country’s economic hub of Johannesburg, and in Tshwane, the country’s capital city.
ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont told Sunday World yesterday morning his party had sent the DA a “detailed set of proposals” on a possible coalition in Joburg and Tshwane. The two parties met earlier in the week but Beaumont said a deal had not yet been sealed.
“The ball very much remains in the DA’s court now,” he added.
The country’s 257 councils have until Thursday to convene their first meetings following last week’s local government elections, which produced twice the number of hung municipalities as compared to the 2016 elections, forcing parties into coalition talks.
ActionSA’s last-ditch attempts to work with the DA came as the party announced that coalition talks between them and the EFF had collapsed. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba announced yesterday morning that the party’s senate had decided to close the door on collaborating with the EFF to run councils.
Mashaba said they disagreed with the EFF’s proposal of sharing councils with the ANC, and reiterated they would not work with the ANC as per their promise on the campaign trail.
Sources in ActionSA and the DA said a deal was as good as sealed. The agreement would see ActionSA leaders in Gauteng – John Moodey and Funzi Ngobeni – former provincial leader and Johannesburg leader respectively – being appointed members of the mayoral committee (MMCs) reporting to DA mayor Mpho Phalatse.
In Tshwane ActionSA’s Abel Tau and Nkele Molapo were punted as MMCs in the DA’s Randall William’s executive committee.
But another source claimed that Mashaba’s demand to be Joburg mayor had stalled talks.
“People are saying in the DA why should Mashaba be mayor when the DA is in the majority compared to his party.”
DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille said: “We do not discuss coalitions publicly while they are ongoing.”
In Johannesburg, the ANC scored 33.6%, DA 26%, ActionSA 16% and EFF 10%. Cooperation between ActionSA and DA – which comes to 42% – still needs the support of small parties to form a coalition government. An ANC/EFF partnership, which goes to 43%, also needs smaller parties to chip in.
In Tshwane, ANC received 34.31%, the DA 32.34%, the EFF received 10.62%, while ActionSA scored 9.43%.
A joint venture between the DA and ActionSA takes their tally to over 41%, and they need the backing of small parties.
The ANC and EFF (whose combined total is just over 44%) will also need smaller parties to form a coalition government.
In Ekurhuleni, a DA and ActionSA collaboration totals 34%, while the EFF and ANC combined tally comes to 51%, which is sufficient to form a coalition government.
Tshwane and Johannesburg are to elect mayors on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
The IFP has kept its cards close to its chest as to which coalition partners it will work with in some hung councils.
In KwaZulu-Natal, where it recorded massive victories, including dislodging the governing party in districts, the IFP had initially said it would not go to bed with the ANC.
The governing party desperately needs the IFP in eThekwini, where it received 42% of the vote.
The IFP said it had taken a decision not to support the ANC based on how the governing party had treated its founding president, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, saying he had not been accorded the respect he deserved.
But judging by the sentiments by Narend Singh, IFP chief whip in the National Assembly, the IFP has softened its approach towards the ANC.
“We have talked to more than 16 parties and there’s no party we are not talking to, including the ANC. We will announce our decision on Sunday,” said Singh
EFF leader Julius Malema said the coalition talks between his party and ActionSA collapsed because Mashaba said they wouldn’t rely on ANC votes in the councils.
“We need these numbers of the ANC to help us get a clean government. They just vote for you but we keep them out, you run the municipality and deliver to our people.
“We are very simple, we give Mashaba Joburg, EFF takes Tshwane and the ANC takes Ekurhuleni, we don’t co-govern,” he said.
Malema accused the DA and the Freedom Front Plus of wanting to take over Tshwane and JB Marks (Potchefstroom) and turn them into dorpies.
Former EFF chairperson advocate Dali Mpofu hinted the party would meet the ANC for coalition government negotiations today.
Although Mpofu didn’t mention ANC by its name, he said: “The land could come back as soon as tomorrow if the party we’re meeting tomorrow doesn’t sell out.”
It remains to be seen what shape today’s talks between the two parties will take.
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