ActionSA moves to stabilise Joburg, with Ekurhuleni being next

22 July 2024

ActionSA’s Senate has met to deliberate on matters arising from its review of the 2024 national and provincial election, including representations made by ActionSA caucuses in the Gauteng Metros about the dire state of these municipalities, particularly in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

At the heart of the declining condition of these municipalities is the instability that has persisted in these coalitions as coalition partners, especially in Johannesburg, seek to condition their support for matters of governance based on extraneous issues to Johannesburg or its residents.

The tenure of Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, like his predecessor, has been an unmitigated failure with the evidence of the downward spiral of Johannesburg evident all around the City.

ActionSA has contemplated the fact that it holds a significant number of seats in Johannesburg, and we have come to the conclusion that the Party cannot sit on its hands anymore as the City continues its downward spiral to the detriment of Joburg residents.

It is for this reason that ActionSA will adopt the role of the constructive opposition, as we have done in Parliament in relation to the grand coalition and will make our support available to any government in Johannesburg on an issue-by-issue basis. To facilitate this constructive opposition role ActionSA will take up a number of positions in the legislature so that we have the platform to hold any new government to account.

ActionSA has placed three key conditions on its conditional support of a new government in Johannesburg, first of which is the removal of Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda. The second condition is the immediate reversal of the R200 surcharge heartlessly imposed by City Power on prepaid users. Thirdly, ActionSA will produce a series of motions the purpose of which would be to position the City to turnaround in key frontline service delivery matters including infrastructure renewal and the rejuvenation of the Inner City.

Having explained what this arrangement is, it is necessary to explain what it is not. It is not a coalition arrangement. ActionSA will not enter the executive to co-govern, no coalition agreement will be signed and ActionSA’s support, even for a new Mayor, will be provided only on the consideration of the merits of the matter.

It is also not an arrangement that has any bearing upon our involvement in the City of Tshwane where ActionSA remains in a coalition that despite issues that require action, our Deputy Mayor and MMCs continue to make progress on important issues like the imminent provision of clean water to the residents of Hammanskraal for the first time in over 18 years.

Part of the agreement reached is that the ANC will facilitate the resignation of the current ATM Speaker in the City of Tshwane reversing the injustice that was perpetrated in this City with the vote buying that previously transpired. This will pave the way for the current governing coalition to hold this seat as it intended with an ActionSA representative that will bring stability to this vital role and enhance our ability to improve service delivery.

While ActionSA’s redefining of its role in Johannesburg does not constitute a coalition or co-governing arrangement, it does represent an important learning from the outcomes of 29 May General Elections. We can no longer position ourselves in the complex future of coalitions by ruling out even the most base level arrangements of working with other political parties in such a manner that votes for ActionSA fulfil their mandate to serve the pressing needs of residents.

It is necessary to affirm that ActionSA's position as it relates to the grand coalition remains unchanged as a constructive opposition and, if anything, this position in Johannesburg represents an extension of the national position into local government with the ability to exercise effective oversight.

ActionSA will continue to engage around the future of Ekurhuleni to ensure that this City is similarly stabilised in the near future. ActionSA will embark upon its role as a constructive opposition to hold these governments to account, without fear or favour, because the state of these cities reveals the need for strong accountability on behalf of their residents.

Issued by Herman Mashaba, President, ActionSA, 23 July 2024