The tension between the ANC and EFF stems from the decision by Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza to remove the EFF’s Nkululeko Dunga as member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance and replace him with ANC finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi.
(Twitter/EFF)
The ANC and minority parties in the Johannesburg council are considering removing the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from all levers of power in the city after it failed to vote with them on Tuesday.
The Johannesburg council sat to vote on a R2.5 billion loan from the Agence Française de Développement on Tuesday, which would be repaid in 15 years.
The EFF refused to vote for the loan, which saw the motion being defeated by a margin of 118 to 111. Three councillors abstained.
This was the third time the loan had been rejected in the council, with the EFF previously abstaining from voting in favour of it. The loan is intended to fund capital expenditure projects.
The tension between the ANC and EFF stems from the decision by Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza to remove the EFF’s Nkululeko Dunga as member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance and replace him with ANC finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi.
High-ranking sources in the ANC told the Mail & Guardian that MMCs from the EFF would be removed from their positions as they “serve no purpose” in the coalition.
One told the M&G the MMCs from the EFF would be removed and not be replaced for now, adding that this would happen “soon”.
“It will be done by the end of the week. We also knew that the EFF will not be voting with us in council,” the ANC leader said.
The ANC and EFF are leading the coalitions in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, with the assistance of smaller parties, including the Patriotic Alliance.
ANC provincial chair Panyaza Lesufi has on previous occasions said that their relationship with the EFF in the province was good and they were willing to work with any party.
This is despite the ANC nationally saying that they would not be working with the EFF or the uMkhonto weSizwe party as they did not respect the constitution.
Another ANC source said while the parties have a good working relationship at provincial level, its councillors in Johannesburg were not happy with the EFF in the region.
The source said the regional leadership of the ANC would meet to discuss a way forward between the two parties, saying he was in support of the removal of the Red Berets in the coalition.
“They are supported by the provincial leadership but we are not happy with them. This is happening for the third time. Everytime we engage them before council, they tell us that they will vote with us and when we go to council, they ask for caucus breaks and then don’t vote with us.”
“I fully support their removal, and we must now start engaging other parties, because they serve no purpose to us.”
Last month, sources in the Gauteng ANC provincial executive committee told the M&G that the ANC would forge ahead with ending its working relationship with EFF in all municipalities.
The sources in the ANC provincial executive committee said the relationship between the party and the EFF was “over” in all municipalities.
“It’s done. We will be removing them everywhere. We are unplugging them everywhere; they are no more the kingmakers,” one source said.
Another councillor who forms part of the coalition told the M&G on Tuesday that the issues between the ANC and EFF were also “related to ego”.
“Remember, the ANC has made its first move by pulling Dunga in Ekurhuleni.”
“This was also a trap for the EFF, and [by their] failure to vote for the budget, they were opening themselves up for being removed from power,” the source said.
The M&G has also been informed that the coalition partners have approached ActionSA to replace the EFF in the city government.
ActionSA have in the past made it clear that under no circumstances would they engage with the ANC, which they viewed as being responsible for the crisis facing South Africa.
ActionSA councillor Lebo Modukanene told the council sitting on Tuesday that the ANC had approached them to vote for the loan because they saw that they didn’t have the numbers to ensure that it passed.
“Next time, when coming to us to approve a loan, you must come to us in good faith,” Modukanene said.
Asked whether it was still worth keeping the EFF in the Johannesburg coalition, ANC regional chair and MMC for Finance Dada Morero said it was not a decision to be made by the region, but one which needed to be made by provincial and national leadership.
Morero said they were “disappointed” and “unhappy” with the conduct of the EFF, because they had expected its support for the loan as they were part of the government in the city.
He said the failure to pass the budget would have a negative impact.
“Our cash position is strained and we thought that this loan will give us a breather. We are going to have difficulties running the government.”
Al Jama-ah leader and former Johannesburg mayor Thapelo Amad said he could not say what the next step would be after the EFF’s action.
“They voted — abstaining is something else but voting means they have taken a position. We know that even when you are in a conventional marriage, before you take your dirty laundry elsewhere, you just resolve things internally.”
“We are disappointed and we shouldn’t have let politics be at play. I can’t pronounce on the EFF because the government of local unity has to sit.”