Shake up: EFF has threatened that it will withdraw its support for the ANC in the City of Johannesburg if its demands are not met.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is pushing to secure the transport portfolio in the City of Johannesburg, a position the party believes would give it a platform to drive service delivery and strengthen its campaign ahead of next year’s local government elections.
The demand, which has the potential to destabilise the coalition government running the city, was communicated to the ANC last week by EFF secretary general Marshall Dlamini’s office.
The party wants Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero to give the position left vacant by the resignation of the Patriotic Alliance’s (PA) Kenny Kunene to the Red Berets, who would in turn give its community safety portfolio to the PA. The PA has signalled its vehement opposition to this proposed swap, while the EFF has threatened to withdraw its support for the ANC in the city if it does not get its way.
Sources within the EFF’s central command team — its highest decision-making body — said this had been discussed by party structures as part of a strategy to gain momentum ahead of local government elections.
The department oversees critical issues such as the management of roads, licensing centres and public transport networks, including regulation of the troublesome minibus taxi industry and the City of Johannesburg’s problematic Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system.
“We believe that this is a good plan to gain our ground in the council and help our people in Johannesburg. We have a better chance in restoring the streets of Johannesburg ahead of the G20, something that the Patriotic Alliance has failed to do,” a member of the central command team told the Mail & Guardian.
South Africa is the president of the G20 and Johannesburg is hosting a series of G20-related meetings this year, culminating in the annual summit of heads of state set for November. This has placed pressure on the city to fix its decaying infrastructure, including roads which are riddled with potholes.
The EFF believes that holding the transport portfolio, and claiming credit for improvements, would serve as tangible proof of its ability to govern, something the party could leverage while campaigning for next year’s elections.
“Our people want to see action, not talk. If we control transport, we can show results in months, not years,” another member of the central command team said.
“We are not threatening, we are stating facts. The ANC knows that, without us, they cannot govern. They must choose — either they give us transport or they lose Johannesburg.”
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula told a media briefing this week that the party was confused by the EFF’s stance, as the transport position in Johannesburg belongs to the PA as per the coalition agreement in the city.
Mbalula said since Kunene’s resignation had been voluntary, it was to be expected that the PA would want a member of the party to take over the post.
“We don’t understand this stand-off because Kenny resigned from the municipality and left a position of transport that belongs to PA in terms of the agreement of a coalition government in Johannesburg,” he said.
“When Kenny leaves, PA brings a replacement to Kenny. Why then should there be a fight about who replaces Kenny in the position of transport? We must settle that issue among ourselves as partners in Johannesburg because it’s an unnecessary fight.”
Making inroads: The Economic Freedom Fighters wants to take charge of the transport department in the City of Johannesburg.
Last week, the M&G reported that both the PA and the EFF were threatening to walk away from the ANC-led coalition in Johannesburg should their preferred candidate not be appointed to the transport MMC position.
The PA is demanding that its newly appointed councillor, Liam Jacobs, take over the position, while the EFF demands that community safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku get the job.
PA sources said during negotiations for the coalition governing Johannesburg, an agreement was reached with the ANC that the PA would hold the position for five years.
Kunene resigned as Johannesburg’s transport MMC in July after the party suspended him for a month, pending an investigation into his relationship with Katiso “TK” Molefe, who was arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder of Oupa Sefoka, popularly known as DJ Sumbody, in 2022.
This week, Mbalula said the ANC’s Gauteng provincial task team had been trying to find a solution to the matter and the mother body would also engage all the parties involved to find an amicable solution.
“This is not a winner-take-all; it’s a coalition government, therefore we must respect each other,” he said.
EFF Gauteng provincial chair Nkululeko Dunga said the party should not be bound to agreements that the PA has with the ANC, even when it is clear that things are not working out at the transport department. Dunga said the EFF has no confidence in the PA maintaining control of the transport portfolio.
“Bree Street remains a thorn in the eyes of people of the city of Johannesburg and nothing has been done about it,” he said, referring to a road in the Johannesburg central business district which has still not been repaired after being damaged by a gas explosion in 2023.
This is despite city officials having promised to fix the damage within six months. Earlier this year, officials at the Johannesburg Road Agency had undertaken to reopen the street on 1 September.
“Traffic lights have been replaced now with stop signs and then we are told we must subject ourselves to a five-year agreement that they have with the ANC,” Dunga said.
He said the EFF would like to occupy all the positions in the executive in Johannesburg, including that of the mayor, and was willing to walk away from the coalition.
“We are not in a coalition with any political party; we can even walk away tomorrow … If we come to a conclusion that the mayor and the government of the day are failing … we can walk away,” he said.
“We are not in any coalition agreements with the ANC whatsoever. We also acknowledge that, in all the municipalities, the discretion of reshuffling or inclusion of another person in the coalition is the discretion of the mayor, which we understand.”
In a statement on Thursday, Rise Mzansi director of communications Mabine Seabe said the City of Johannesburg’s roads remained in a shocking state and continued to deteriorate under ANC mayor Dada Morero, who it slammed for remaining mum about when the transport MMC post would be filled.
Seabe called on Morero to put politics aside and appoint a skilled and capable member of council, regardless of party affiliation, saying the people of Joburg must come first.
“The safety and prosperity of the city and country depend on Joburg having a working and quality roads and transport system. Without this, rebuilding the broken city will be in vain,” he said.
“Once appointed, Rise Mzansi will meet with the new transport MMC to convey the [problems] of residents and the business community and outline some of the solutions needed to rebuild Joburg.”