The DA has survived an attempted putsch in the Joburg city council after winning a high court interdict that blocked plans by rebel coalition partners to help the ANC oust mayor Mpho Phalatse.
The battle for control of the metro — economically the most important in the country, with a budget of about R77bn — peaked this week after the shock ousting of DA speaker Vasco da Gama two weeks ago.
COPE councillor Colleen Makhubele — who is chair of chairs in the council and appointed herself acting speaker — convened a sitting for Tuesday this week when Phalatse would have been axed and the path cleared for the ANC to return to power in the metro.
The drama around Da Gama has once again shone a spotlight on coalition politics in Joburg, which can be seen as a litmus test for power-sharing strategies after the 2024 elections. In Gauteng, no single party is likely to gain an absolute majority that will allow it to govern the province on its own.
“Voters may use this as a dress rehearsal for 2024,” says a source in the Joburg council who wishes to remain anonymous.
The first leg of the attempted Joburg putsch took place two weeks ago when some of the smaller parties that had signed a coalition agreement with the DA turned against it and voted Da Gama out of office.
The episode does not reflect well on the loyalty and stability of some of the smaller parties. For example, one ActionSA councillor — now expelled — simply didn’t pitch for the crucial council meeting at which Da Gama was voted out. Two African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) councillors ignored their party line and voted in favour of Da Gama’s ousting, amid allegations of bribery.
The episode does not reflect well on the loyalty and stability of some of the smaller parties
One councillor from the United Independent Movement and one from the IFP also ignored their parties’ instructions and voted against Da Gama.
But the most serious challenge came from Makhubele. COPE nationally is in the throes of a debilitating leadership battle, as demonstrated by the punch-up during the live broadcast of a party media briefing involving its suspended leader Mosiuoa Lekota.
The ANC had been expected to field its Joburg regional chair Dada Morero as its mayoral candidate at the council sitting on Tuesday. But the Joburg high court’s decision to grant the DA an interdict against the meeting taking place nipped that plan in the bud.
While Phalatse and the DA have won this battle, the war is far from over.
Sources loyal to the mayor say the reason for the attempted coup is that the taps have closed for those who have been benefiting from doing business with the city.
The city has a number of reports into alleged corruption by councillors and officials, which have been “dusted off” by Phalatse’s administration and are expected to be made public. Phalatse has also reconstituted the city’s financial misconduct board, which is empowered to investigate financial misconduct and recommend sanctions against wrongdoers. No councillors sit on the board.
The next step is to elect a new speaker to replace Da Gama, the city council said in a statement. The sitting to do so will be called by acting city manager Bryne Maduka. The city says the council’s acting secretary, Madimetsa Molekwa, will run day-to-day administrative functions.
Politically, the next hurdle for the DA is to ensure that its coalition partners take action against their errant councillors. The ACDP is in the process of disciplining its councillors. It is unclear what action COPE will take against Makhubele — she is supported by her party’s regional leadership but not by its national leaders, though they themselves seem unable to agree on much at all.
If these loyalty and discipline issues can be ironed out, the DA-led coalition will be in a stronger position to elect a new speaker at the next council sitting, which is scheduled for September 27/28.
The FM understands that Da Gama is unlikely to return to the post — he has been unpopular both with opposition parties and the DA’s coalition partners.
But his ousting means the coalition agreement between the DA and the smaller parties — which include the FF+ and the Patriotic Alliance — is up for renegotiation. The coalition partners want the posts of speaker and chief whip to go to parties other than the DA, saying this would be a “symbolic gesture” of true power sharing.
The DA’s key partner, ActionSA, has long been pushing for the appointment of a new city manager. Maduka, who was MD of Pikitup, is in the position in an acting capacity. He has a solid track record of extensive experience in the city, but it is understood that ActionSA has its own preference for a city manager.
ActionSA was also behind a proposal in the first coalition agreement that a post of deputy mayor be created, and this is now likely to get a new airing.
The party effectively has the DA over a barrel — with its 44 seats in council, it is the DA’s strongest coalition partner.
The Joburg coalition remains on a knife edge for now but Phalatse is adamant that she will not be distracted from her work.
The electorate is moving with the times — now it’s up to politicians to accept coalition arrangements as a path to delivery and service, not as the route to self-enrichment
“The coalition will continue with the repair and rebuild of the city and we call upon all councillors, regardless of political affiliation, to join us as we build a city of golden opportunities for and with all 6-million residents. People must always come before politics,” a statement from her office said after Monday’s court victory.
Elsewhere in the country, coalitions are fragile or crumbling, including those in the major metros of Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. A total of 80 councils are run by coalitions across the country, and the annual SA Local Government Association council of mayors gathering last week heard calls for coalitions to be regulated.
Speaking at the event, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for greater co-operation across party lines and “less focus on [the] ding-dong practice of removing mayors every week of the month”.
“There needs to be a concerted and shared effort to address the growing levels of public dissatisfaction with service provision,” he said.
A study in July by the Social Research Foundation into the opinions of registered voters showed that 60% of them “strongly agreed” the parties they support should be willing to participate in coalitions. The foundation surveyed 3,204 demographically and regionally representative voters to examine their perceptions of SA’s inevitable future of being controlled by coalitions.
It found that 67% of ANC voters believed the party should be willing to make at least “small” compromises for the sake of stable government; for the DA, the figure was only 40%. But respondents across party lines agreed overwhelmingly that coalitions are the future and parties should learn to participate constructively in them.
The electorate is moving with the times — now it’s up to politicians to accept coalition arrangements as a path to delivery and service, not as the route to self-enrichment and gain. Given the recent developments in Joburg, they have a long way to go.
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