Outgoing Johannesburg manager Trevor Fowler‚ who will be the presiding officer‚ said part of the agenda would be the swearing in of the 270 councillors‚ the election of a speaker‚ executive mayor and chief whip. The EFF did not vote with either the ANC or the DA.
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He confirmed that they have held talks with all political parties and warned against speculation and assumptions.
A second source said that neither the Alliance not the ruling party managed to woo the EFF. Many EFF leaders appear to be anxious that their constituency would misinterpret participation in a coalition as a merger with one of the big parties, or endorsement of the other party’s leadership or policies.
“They claim that they respect the fact that voters did not give them a mandate to govern”.
It is likely that the DA would now run Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay and the ANC would retain control of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
The reality of course is never that simple.
Earlier Johannesburg’s Business Day newspaper reported that the EFF has decided not to form coalitions or vote for mayoral positions and will exclusively focus on policy issues, citing people it didn’t identify. The leader asked not to be identified because the proposal hadn’t been made public.
They hope the other smaller parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), African Independent Congress (AIC), will join the “coalition block”. In Tshwane, a municipal area that includes Pretoria, the DA won 43.15 percent, the ANC 41.25 percent and the EFF 11.63 percent. If relations between parties are acrimonious, this could render the councils dysfunctional.
With the ANC failing to secure an outright majority in Johannesburg, Mogale City and Ekurhuleni, coalitions have to be formed – and this is where Julius Malema and his EFF becomes key and probably king makers. This would particularly be the case if the full might of the ANC will be brought to bear on one two metros at one time, instead of having to be spread countrywide, as was the case ahead of August 3’s polls. Johannesburg’s will be on Monday at the City Hall as its chambers are being renovated.
The ebb and flow of politics will not only affect relations at national level but could cause further turbulence in the councils.
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Political analyst Ralph Mathekga told The Citizen that both the DA and EFF would use their media briefings to defend their positions. With the ANC and DA requiring the EFF’s co-operation on an ongoing basis in the minority councils they lead, this could be used as leverage.
