ANC parliamentary chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
ANC parliamentary chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli has questioned the wisdom of the party toppling the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane, citing the possible consequences of inheriting a failing municipality ahead of 2026 local government elections.
Ntuli spoke to the Mail & Guardian on the sidelines of the ANC national working committee’s meeting on Monday with the party’s Gauteng leadership to reflect on its electoral performance in May.
The ANC lost its majority in the province in the 29 May elections, only managing to re-elect Panyaza Lesufi as premier by convening a minority government after negotiations with the DA collapsed.
The political realignment that has followed has seen ActionSA working with the ANC at city level, where they have since installed Dada Morero as mayor. The parties are planning a similar initiative in Tshwane, where a motion of no confidence to remove mayor Cilliers Brink is pending.
But the collapse of municipal services contributed to the ANC’s dismal showing in the May national and provincial elections and that the party is concerned that taking over Tshwane this close to another vote might cost it again.
“Something that we are going to be reflecting on as the ANC [is whether it is] worth it for the ANC to inherit a municipality that is already bankrupt, which has a very slim possibility of recovery between now and local government elections,” Ntuli said.
“Will that not be used against us that we have inherited a municipality and the municipality is on its knees and be used as a judgement for us when we campaign for 2026?”
Last week, the M&G reported that ActionSA is set to get the mayoral position in Tshwane while the ANC will get the council speaker and members of the mayoral committee (MMC) as part of a deal between the parties to oust the DA.
This would mean that for the first time in eight years, the ANC will form part of the government in Tshwane after it was driven out after the 2016 local government elections.
The relationship with ActionSA and ANC in Gauteng has benefited both parties because they have already taken power in the City of Johannesburg, with the ANC getting mayorship and ActionSA the speaker position.
The ANC will bring the motion of no confidence to remove Brink on 26 September. This follows the withdrawal of an earlier attempt to pass an urgent motion, which he challenged in court.
This time around the motion is likely to be passed because the ANC, ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters will have enough numbers to remove the mayor.
The ANC’s leadership nationally will have a say as to its position and attitude to the Tshwane situation before the motion against Brink goes ahead, Ntuli said.
He said the decision should not only be about securing control of mayorships and MMC positions, but also about to what extent this would help the organisation achieve its programmes.
“It is not a question of whether we are happy or not happy because we are not creating salaries for our comrades. We are creating a platform for the national democratic revolution to be implemented,” he said.
“It is a very difficult issue which we need to deal with as the leadership because it’s not just about getting a mayor there and a mayor there. What are you going to do with that mayor? Will it serve our people?”