Hesitant: ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli. Photo: Darren Stewart/Getty Images
A reluctance by the ANC to take leadership roles in the embattled Tshwane metro may scupper the deal brokered by ActionSA to oust Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor Cilliers Brink in a motion of no confidence on 26 September.
Following a fallout with the DA in Gauteng, ActionSA is eyeing control of Tshwane, promising two MMC positions to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a speaker role and two other positions to the ANC once the motion against Brink is passed.
With the EFF in agreement with ActionSA, they await the go-ahead from ANC, which is concerned about being in a leadership position in the metro ahead of the 2026 local government elections because of its financial instability, service delivery issues and administrative difficulties.
After several days of meetings between the ANC national leadership and its Gauteng structures, chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli told the Mail & Guardian this week that the party was hesitant to take ownership of Tshwane in its current state.
The metro’s financial management and governance problems have been widely reported.
“We are reflecting on whether it’s worth it for the ANC to inherit a struggling municipality. Can we recover it before the next local government elections? Will this be used against us in future campaigns, especially in 2026, if we inherit a municipality that’s on its knees?” he said.
Rather than rushing to get leadership positions, the party was weighing whether the coalition with ActionSA would benefit it.
“We have a broader objective of contesting for power, not just appointing comrades to positions. It’s a difficult issue that leadership must address. It’s not just about installing a mayor; it’s about whether that mayor will serve the people effectively.”
ActionSA’s previous coalition with the DA was marred by disagreements over governance and service delivery. The strained relationship between the two, who once worked together to prevent the ANC from controlling key metros, has now led ActionSA to seek alternative alliances.
Last month, party leader Herman Mashaba announced plans to form a coalition with the ANC and EFF to govern Gauteng metros — an agreement that saw the ANC regain power in the City of Johannesburg — if they agreed to vote together to remove Brink.
The motion was initially expected to be tabled on 30 August but was withdrawn by the ANC after Brink approached the Pretoria high court to challenge its legality, citing procedural irregularities.
If the vote of no confidence is successful, it will pave the way for ActionSA to lead the metro with the support of the ANC, African Christian Democratic Party and EFF.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont told the M&G that the planned agreement aims to establish a new governance structure in Tshwane, shifting the balance of power away from the DA.
“The DA’s actions undermined the coalition by ignoring requests to address challenges faced by the marginalised communities in the city,” he said.
“The reality is that the last eight years the city of Tshwane has had a number of very serious issues … many of them in the first five years, which saw among other things the awarding [of a] tender to Edwin Sodi, the refusal to investigate that particular tender or recently the reversals in the auditor general’s reports associated with the city.
“The city remains in enormous debt to Eskom and constantly at risk of being shut off and these are situations that are persisting and the DA cannot continue to tell the residents of Tshwane that this is the legacy of the previous government. Eight years is a long time to govern and not see improvement.”
Beaumont said the idea of an ActionSA mayorship was “mentioned in passing” in discussions so far and would be dealt with after the party decides whether to terminate its membership as part of the multi-party government in the city.
He could not be drawn on when the process is expected to end, noting that the review process required negotiations with the multi-party partners.
ANC regional secretary George Matjila confirmed that discussions about positions had taken place, but a final decision would be taken by the party’s national leadership.
“The speaker will come from the ANC. The MMC positions will be ActionSA, ANC and EFF, but it will depend on what becomes the final arrangement with the smaller parties,” Matjila said.
Last week auditor general Tsakani Maluleke said Tshwane had improved its outcome from an adverse audit opinion to a qualified opinion by taking steps to implement prior-year audit recommendations.
EFF regional chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu said the party would vote for the removal of the DA from power. “We eagerly anticipate our meeting on the 26th where we will continue our call for true freedom and justice for the city of Tshwane.”
The DA has pushed back by approaching the ANC to enter a “stability agreement” through which neither party would back a motion of no confidence in the other’s officials at city level. It is not clear whether this is adding to the ANC’s reluctance to close the deal with ActionSA and the EFF to take control of the city.