Political parties vying for control of the Democratic Alliance-led city of Cape Town on Thursday continued the tit-for-tat exchanges that have characterised a bitter tripartite power struggle.
The Independent Democrats on Thursday rubbished claims from Cape Town’s mayor, Helen Zille, that ID leader Patricia de Lille had vetoed working with the DA-led coalition city government.
”The ID wishes to state that these are blatant lies, but not inconsistent with the ongoing policy of the DA to discredit the ID,” said Simon Grindrod, leader of the ID in the council.
Grindrod said the ID’s city caucus, including 23 councillors, had on Wednesday night unanimously rejected the offer of the DA to join its coalition.
Earlier on Thursday, Zille, when announcing her mayoral executive team, claimed that in talks with ID councillors and ordinary members there seemed to be no unanimity on the question of filling a position reserved for the ID.
”If they were unanimous in their rejection, we would close the door,” Zille said.
”The ID, we learnt, was very keen to accept that offer, but unfortunately it was vetoed at the final minute by the leader of the Independent Democrats,” she claimed.
Zille said the vacant seat (the amenities and sport portfolio) would be held open as long as possible without burdening the deputy mayor, Andrew Arnolds.
Changing the system
Patricia de Lille, at a separate media briefing, said the ID will focus on changing the executive mayoral system currently used.
It has the support of the African National Congress on changing the executive mayor system to one in which the city is run by an executive committee.
”They [the ANC] will support us on that,” De Lille said of the move that, should it get through, would substantially weaken the DA’s grip on the city.
De Lille repeated the ID will not support a motion of no confidence against DA mayor Helen Zille, declining to explain why. But she conceded that changing the government system would similarly result in the crumbling of the DA-led city government — ”an unfortunate consequence”.
Both the ID and ANC criticised the DA for abandoning the executive committee system it punted in its election manifesto.
The executive committee system, based on proportional representation, would see only the ID, DA and ANC represented, with no room for the smaller parties that had coalesced around the DA to ensure it won the mayoralty.
Zille said by going this route, the ANC would in effect be allowed into the city via the back door, despite 62% of the electorate having voted against it in the March 1 municipal elections.
”I do not think it is bad for democracy in South Africa for the ANC to be the opposition in only one major city. The ANC has more than a two-thirds majority nationally, it owns nine out of nine provinces and five out of the six large metropolitan areas … [in opposition] It is not being sidelined, it is not being relegated out of the system. It is essential to the system,” she said.
UDM concerns
Bantu Holomisa, United Democratic Movement president, also waded into the debate, expressing his concerns in a letter to his party’s provincial structures.
Noting impressions that the city’s politics were race-based, Holomisa reminded UDM members that participation in the council ”and delivery” should be clearly seen to be free from racial discrimination.
”We must avoid appearing like voting cattle of the DA. Especially when the decisions of the council are communicated, they must be communicated as the joint decision of the multiparty government, not just the DA,” he said.
Holomisa said the UDM, whose Dumisani Xibi was elected to the mayoral committee on Thursday, cannot become a ”rubber stamp” for other parties’ programmes.
”This is a joint government that requires us to participate as full members,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, provincial Premier Ebrahim Rasool likened the politics of the city to a ”scrambled egg”.
Addressing newly elected councillors at the start of a two-day orientation workshop organised by the provincial government, Rasool said they should not look over their shoulders for political threats as they settle down to the business of governing.
”Don’t watch over your shoulder all the time about whether you’ll be governing for a week, or two weeks, or a month, or a year, or until the next walkover.
”You’ve got to govern as if you are there for five years and make decisions that go well beyond five years.”
Rasool said the worst thing for the poor and marginalised of the province would be an administration that is constantly looking over its shoulder and forgetting to govern.
”Or someone who makes populist, short-term decisions when there should be, in the spirit of President Thabo Mbeki, decisions which will outlive even us.
”Being insecure, being fearful, looking over your shoulder all the time, fighting political battles all the time, is the surest way of being out of office very quickly,” he said. — Sapa