Horse-trading for position collapses Jhb council

2 May 2023

The residents of Johannesburg are yet again being left behind whilst the ANC along with their Coalition Partners are busy horse trading for positions and leverage. All factions are vying for the Mayorship of the City of Johannesburg.

The 15th Extraordinary Council sitting is being held today solely to elect a new Mayor after the resignation of Cllr Thapelo Amad last week. Instead of this being a smooth process, where the various parties put forward their candidates, the ANC Coalition has wasted 5 hours today calling Caucus meetings with their parties. The longest Caucus meeting was called by the ANC and lasted for 3 hours. As soon as Council reconvened the minority parties of that coalition called for a further hours Caucus meeting.

It is clear that there is dissension in the ranks and the protagonists are unable to find common ground and as such are either trying delay the process in order to find parity or alternatively to collapse the Council Meeting in order to give the ANC Coalition time to regroup and find a way forward.

This is clearly another example of where the individual quest for power and access to the City’s purse strings trump the needs of the residents. Residents who are facing unprecedented service delivery failures.

At 17:45 The Speaker herself a conflicted, wannabe Mayoral Candidate adjourned the Council Meeting. This despite the majority of parties voting to go ahead with the voting process. After 5 hours of Caucus breaks the puppets of the ANC, Al Jamah asked for yet another Caucus break. The Speaker then favouring her self-interests in this matter adjourned the meeting. Thereby wasting nearly half a million rands of ratepayers money. This behaviour by the Speaker is unethical and morally indefensible and show her bias and allegiance to the ANC Coalition.

It is also further evidence of the schism in the ANC and their coalition partners.

The DA is firmly committed to providing a secure and stable leadership to stabilise the City for the benefit of the residents and are sickened by the behaviour of the Speaker and the ANC.

Issued by Mpho Phalatse, DA Johannesburg Caucus Leader, 2 May 2023