ANC STATEMENT ON COALITION GOVERNMENTS IN THE METROS
The 2016 local government elections delivered a number of municipalities, including the Nelson Mandela, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane metros, where no party secured an outright majority. The ANC emerged as the largest party in both Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg. While we prefer to win elections with a clear majority, it is, however, in the nature of democracy that election outcomes do not always produce an outright winner.
These metros are governed by coalition governments with either the ANC (in the case of Ekurhuleni) or the DA (in the case of the other metros), leading the coalitions.
Following the 2016 local government elections, the ANC made a commitment that hard work, responsiveness and accountability would be the criteria against which we judge ANC councillors. These values speak to the principles that guide our approach to governance at local level.
The ANC’s approach to coalitions is based on a long-term perspective informed by our commitment to transform South Africa into a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society. In this regard, it is our firm conviction that local government in the cities, towns and rural areas should be guided by the constitutional mandate to provide basic services to communities, stimulate local economic growth and development and generally contribute to the improvement of the lives of citizens, especially the poor. This commitment is grounded on the principles of non-racialism, good governance, ethical conduct and effective leadership.
For these objectives to be realised, it is crucial that there should be stability in local government structures.
There is no doubt that the DA-led coalitions in Nelson Mandela Bay, Johannesburg and Tshwane, were and are, devoid of principle; and they were bound to collapse: opportunism and patronage were the shifting sands on which they were constructed. An irrational and pathological hatred of the ANC could not be sustained forever.
As the perverse incentives that fuelled this phenomenon crumble, so does the fragile alliance in the different metros. Some of the parties that supported these coalitions – formally or informally – are starting to realise the error of their ways, and they dread the punishment that the electorate will deliver in future elections. The crumbling of the house of cards is irreversible.
In pursuit of the immediate stabilisation of both the Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane metros where these alliances have collapsed, the ANC has decided to work with parties that share its immediate aims and that are committed to placing these municipalities on a path of recovery, to resolve the immediate challenges. As we do this, we shall exercise maximum vigilance to ensure that the ANC is not beholden to any perverse political and material interests.
We have chosen this course of action cognisant of the principle that, ultimately, it is the citizens of these metros that should break the political deadlock that has brought instability and unbridled patronage. We shall therefore continue our consultations with relevant regional and provincial structures of the movement and broader civil society, as well as provincial and national spheres of government, on how the voice of the people can be placed at the centre of the resolution of the current crisis in these metros.
As it addresses these issues, the ANC will intensify its work among communities to ensure that the service delivery challenges affecting especially poor households are addressed.
The desperate antics of the DA, especially over the past few days, are a reflection of the realisation on its part that opportunism does come back to bite those who dabble in unprincipled conduct. Critically, the DA is trying all manner of trapeze artistry to conceal the evident truth that its pretence of ethical governance now lies in ruins.
The time for renewal in our metros, based on caring local government, has come!
Statement issued by Fikile Mbalula, ANC Head of Elections, 30 August 2018
