South Africa

Politics, South Africa

Battleground Metros: The day the EFF punished the ANC

Battleground Metros: The day the EFF punished the ANC

Two weeks after the local government elections, the EFF announced a creative solution on Wednesday to punish the ANC while maintaining the party’s independence in opposition. The DA, meanwhile, announced a coalition with four smaller parties. In the next few days, councils in key metros Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane, and Johannesburg will elect new mayors – all set to to elect their first leaders outside of the ANC. By GREG NICOLSON.

Almost two weeks ago, EFF leader Julius Malema addressed the media as the IEC finalised the results for the local government elections. He said there were three options in hung councils where his party earned a decisive minority: the EFF could agree to a coalition, elections could be re-run, or the party could abstain from voting for a council’s leadership. The EFF was expected to abstain, after no potential partner met its demands, which would have led to the election of minority governments, including the ANC.

On Wednesday, Malema introduced the fourth option.

The EFF, he said, chose between “the two devils” – the ANC and DA. To dethrone the ANC it will vote for opposition parties in hung councils. It will support the Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu-Natal, Forum 4 Service Delivery in Rustenburg, and the DA in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, and potentially Johannesburg.

We’re not co-governing. We’re not going to compromise the brand EFF,” Malema said, addressing media in Alexandra, next to an informal settlement.

We’ve taken a stand and we’re going to vote for the opposition.”

The EFF will vote for the opposition in hung councils, but the party hasn’t entered into any agreements, hasn’t asked for any positions, and will continue to act as an opposition party throughout the term of local governance. Service delivery must continue, Malema said on the EFF’s decision to support another party’s leadership rather than abstain.

Both the ANC and DA protect white minority capital, he continued, but the ANC is “corrupt to the core” and remains arrogant even after its losses. Speaking on the ANC’s national executive committee’s decision to accept collective responsibility rather than blame Zuma, Malema said,

Since you’ve taken a collective responsibility, now you’ll be punished collectively.”

He named the ANC mayoral candidates set to lose power and their party’s national executive committee’s claim to accept collective responsibility, and referred to the EFF’s demand during negotiations to remove President Jacob Zuma as head of state. “You love an individual more than a metro,” he said.

In key municipalities, the EFF’s decision effectively means the DA will win Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and probably Johannesburg, while a number of councils across the country will now go to opposition parties.

The DA, Congress of the People, United Democratic Movement, Freedom Front Plus and African Christian Democratic Party made their own announcement on Wednesday. Across hung councils, they have agreed to form coalition governments based on an agreement reached during the two weeks of negotiations. IFP wasn’t a part of the coalition but the DA will work with the party in hung councils, party leader Mmusi Maimane said.

It is clear that we had to take the next step in the process of building a strong, unified alternative to the ANC. If voters have been shown to take their responsibilities seriously, we had to create an alternative that could be taken seriously,” said Maimane’s statement.

While coalitions are complex and are sometimes difficult to manage, we are optimistic that we can form governments that are united by the one galvanising force which is the delivery of better services to the people of South Africa and in so doing moving South Africa forward again.”

Photo: DA leader Mmusi Maimane holds an agreement between his party and smaller opposition parties entering into a coalition after the 2016 local government elections. (Greg Nicolson)

The parties signed an agreement outlining the terms of their coalition at a press conference in Sandton. The agreement is broad but includes mechanisms for each party to raise issues of dispute. They commit to constitutionalism, non-racialism, free and fair elections, the devolution of powers to provinces and municipalities, improving service delivery, and eradicating poverty.

Our coalition governments will land the broad thrust of the parties’ municipal manifestos into the Integrated Development Plan of the municipalities. Where there are aspects of incompatibility, these will become subjects of negotiation,” the agreement reads.

The smaller opposition parties risk getting lost in the DA agenda, but the parties committed to reaching consensus on council administration issues. Areas governed by coalitions will form political management committees, including leaders from all partners. Dispute resolution committees, including provincial leaders, will be established to handle disputes local leaders can’t resolve and a party can still publicly criticise another, as long as an issue has been raised through official channels first.

Despite the coalition, the key results were determined by the EFF. While the results were being announced, Malema’s party met ANC Gauteng leaders but wanted discussions to be between both parties’ national leaderships. Discussions from the ANC were led by Gwede Mantashe, Zweli Mkhize, Jessie Duarte, Andries Nel and Jeff Radebe. Malema said the EFF was prepared to work with his former party.

The EFF didn’t ask for positions, but put eight issues on the table. It wanted the ANC to pass legislation for the expropriation of land without compensation, to nationalise mines, banks and strategic sectors of the economy, to implement free education immediately, to remove Die Stem from the national anthem, to eradicate e-tolls, to agree no nuclear deal with Russian energy producers would go ahead, to institute a judicial inquiry into allegations of state capture against the Gupta family, and to remove President Jacob Zuma as the head of the Republic.

Malema said the ANC leaders reflected and then, on some demands, explained what they’re already doing, while they rejected others outright. They said the ANC’s pushing the Land Expropriation Bill, the state has a mining company and bank in the Post Bank, has initiated an inquiry on free tertiary education, and could remove Die Stem but has to take the country along in the process. There’s no nuclear deal agreed to, it said, and on state capture the ANC favoured a broad inquiry rather than focusing on the Guptas. “On President Zuma they said it’s a no-no,” said Malema.

He said the EFF wanted firm commitments rather than promises to enter into processes, which could be later discarded, and could not support the ANC while it lets Zuma lead the country.

It was going to be an insult to South Africans who voted against kleptocracy and corruption,” said Malema. “We are happy to announce there is no deal between the EFF and ANC.”

The party put relevant demands to the DA. The EFF understood the DA is not in national government and could not institute legislation on nationalisation or land expropriation, but it asked the party to publicly announce its support of the policies. While the DA was “sympathetic” to free tertiary education and “amenable” on removing Die Stem from the anthem, the party decided not to back the EFF’s proposals. “We are happy to announce there is no deal with the DA… The EFF will not be going into coalition with anyone,” Malema announced.

We’re not co-governing. We’re not going to compromise the brand EFF,” he said. “We’ve taken a stand and we’re going to vote for the opposition.”

Both the ANC and DA protect white minority capital, Malema claimed, but the ANC is “corrupt to the core” and remains arrogant even after its losses.

After naming the ANC mayoral candidates set to lose power, he said:

You love an individual more than a metro.”

We are building this organisation from the ground. We are building it slowly,” said Malema. While voting against the ANC in hung councils to determine who becomes leader, the EFF has not entered into any agreements and will thereafter continue to act as an opposition party

In metros such as Tshwane and Johannesburg, however, DA leaders will rely on the EFF’s willingness to support them. Only with the EFF’s votes can DA candidates be elected. Despite the negotiations failing to lead to a coalition, the DA relies on EFF support and the one condition the EFF put to the DA was in Johannesburg. It asked the DA not to appoint mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba.

Malema was reluctant to expand on the caveat during his press conference, but Maimane later confirmed the Fighters did not want Mashaba to be mayor. Speaking on Talk Radio 702, Malema said Mashaba hates black people.

Considering the EFF’s power in hung municipalities, the DA would be remiss to appoint Mashaba, he said, but regardless of what the DA chooses to do with Mashaba, Malema said it will still vote against the ANC in Johannesburg. During the press conference, Maimane stood by Mashaba. Mashaba is however reportedly willing to step aside in the interest of getting the DA to govern Joburg.

The Fighters would love to prevent Mzwandile Masina from becoming mayor of Ekurhuleni, but the opposition’s fight looks lost in the metro, where the ANC only slightly failed to win a majority. The African Independent Congress holds the balance and appears to be going with the ANC because the ruling party could look into incorporating Matatiele from Eastern Cape into KwaZulu-Natal.

A few issues hang in the balance, but the key story of the local government elections is the failure of the ANC. ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe remained confident the ANC could win back support, but his party has suffered a decisive blow: It no longer governs the biggest metros with the biggest populations and budgets. The ANC said it is prepared to become the opposition; it’s now confirmed – in the country’s most important metros, the ANC will be the opposition. DM

Main photo: EFF’s Julius Malema, Godrich Gardee and Floyd Shivambu brief the media on the outcome of coalition negotiations resulting from the 2016 local government elections in Alexandra. (Greg Nicolson)

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