MKP president Jacob Zuma is plotting a strategic political move to win Joburg City in the upcoming local government elections but in particular to stop DA heavyweight Helen Zille from emerging victorious.
Just like Zuma spoilt the DA-led “moonshot pact” party during the last national and provincial elections, the MKP leader will this time unleash local government clean governance poster boy Bongani Baloyi to go toe-to-toe with Zille and other candidates for Joburg’s mayoral chain next year.
Sunday World has been informed by reliable sources within MKP that Zuma’s plan was at an advanced stage to cripple the DA’s hopes of capturing Joburg with an outright majority amidst an ANC battling a legitimacy crisis under incumbent mayor Dada Morero.
Although the MKP is yet to formally decide on its mayoral candidates, Zuma, as the ultimate decision-maker, is said to have made up his mind on fielding Baloyi. The move, our informants said, is a master stroke by Zuma to disrupt the DA agenda with their own product.
Baloyi rose to prominence as the poster boy of local government during his tenure as Midvaal Municipality mayor in Gauteng, where he made getting clean audits his favourite sport.
“President Zuma is mulling over fielding Bongani (Baloyi) for MKP in Johannesburg for mayorship, but it is not cast in stone yet,” said an insider. “The feeling is that Joburg is not only important for South Africa but the continent as a whole, and leaving it to the DA would be
unfortunate.”
At the moment, Baloyi is the head of elections in the MKP, who has been leading the young party in its impressive showing in several by-elections.
Some within the party argue that he should be retained within that post, which has a national footprint, while those who are proponents of his Joburg mayorship insist that Joburg, as the country’s economic hub, is strategic.
Zuma’s thinking is said to be informed by a scenario in which the DA does not win with an outright majority but becomes the leading party with the ANC trailing behind, which would force another coalition between the two.
“It is becoming clear that if the ANC drops below the DA, the two will create a coalition and squeeze the MKP and EFF out, so what do you do in this {situation]? You field your best of the best to stop this from happening,” said a person who has Zuma’s ear.
“So, the strategic thinking is to ensure that the DA and ANC combined do not get 50% plus one, and only Bongani can come close because he will get votes from DA and ANC voters.”
Zuma is said to be convinced that fielding Zille in Joburg is part of the capitalist establishment’s plan to capture political power in the city and ultimately the province to complete their mission of having a stranglehold in Western Cape, KZN and Gauteng.
“Joburg is very important to the DA for business reasons mainly, and the person who stopped them from getting to the province, Panyaza (Lesufi), won’t have a direct part to play, so if they and the ANC get in the 20s but enough to form a government, they will do it and squeeze everyone out.”
Baloyi referred questions to MKP national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlhela, who in turn said the party was yet to officially decide on its mayoral candidates, given that it was planning to hold a strategic planning meeting soon.
“At that meeting and maybe a national high command that will follow, we will have to decide on policy, framework and criteria for selecting our mayoral candidates.”
It remains unclear who will be the candidate for ANC, whose national executive committee is yet to conduct interviews.
The situation is further worsened by the fact that the ANC in Joburg is yet to convene its regional conference, where incumbent mayor Morero will take on finance MMC Loyiso Masuku, the victor becoming the favourite mayoral candidate.
The EFF has also not decided, with murmurs that Public Safety MMC, Mgini Tshwaku, who is also a member of the national central command team, might get the nod.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who led the city under the DA, has not thrown his hat into the ring, saying he is more interested in grooming leaders such Tshwane mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya.
