Coalition negotiations collapse ahead of Joburg motions of no confidence

26 January 2023

Following further negotiations yesterday between the Patriotic Alliance and the governing coalition in Johannesburg ActionSA can confirm that talks have failed, and the multi-party coalition will face motions of no confidence without the majority to defend Mayor Mpho Phalatse.

As a consequence, it seems certain that the motions of no confidence will succeed and the coalition in Johannesburg will fall.

Final negotiations ultimately failed because the DA refused to listen to the opinions of all of its coalition partners who wrote to the DA urging that the original proposal that had been agreed to by all parties (including the DA) and accepted by the PA, should be honoured. This proposal would have restored the majority of the coalition, defeated these motions of no confidence tomorrow and delivered 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 (with whom the coalition was negotiating) as corrupt.

ActionSA does not hold any affinity towards the PA however, along with most of our coalition partners, we understood the seat allocations in Johannesburg to make the PA the most likely way to restore the majority of the coalition.

ActionSA will now reach out to our other coalition partners and seek their support for an ActionSA candidate to stand for Mayor today. We will do so because the failure of the DA to lead this multi-party coalition requires another political party to step forward to try and keep the ANC out.

The DA must decide tomorrow 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.

While ActionSA cannot be assured of the election of our candidate, we will always work to provide an alternative to the failed ANC governance that was rejected by voters in 2021.

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.

Issued by Michael Beaumont, National Chairperson, ActionSA, 26 January 2023