EFF and ANC private caucus delay election of new mayor
EFF and ANC delay election of mayor.
The Ekurhuleni extraordinary council meeting to elect a new mayor was reduced to a circus and failed to take off on Wednesday.
This is after the EFF and ANC asked to be excused in order to meet in private, which stretched into the afternoon before the speaker of the council Raymond Dhlamini adjourned the meeting.
It seems the two parties could not find each other during their negotiations.
The motion was supported by the Independent Citizen Movement with Clr Joe Mojapelo proposing that the seating be postponed to a later date.
This was supported by other political parties, which include the EFF and ANC.
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Dhlamini said during a media briefing that he had to adjourn the meeting in accordance with the processes of council.
“There were a number of caucuses during the sitting and the councillors were not back in council when they were expected to be. We had to adjourn the meeting. We will release a new date for the next special sitting within the next seven days,” he explained.
The chairperson of the ANC in Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, confirmed that were locked in a robust meeting with the EFF and they are at the tail-end of negotiations.
“The ANC will not be contesting for the position of mayor and will be voting with the EFF during the election of the mayor in the next sitting,” he explained.
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The chairperson of the ANC in Ekurhuleni, former Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina, was speculated to be contesting for the position of mayor but refuted the claims.
“I will not be contesting for the position of mayor or any other positions including that of speaker or MMC but will be remaining as an ordinary councillor. Mine is to use the experience to help rebuild the metro for better service delivery,” he explained.
The DA’s leader in Gauteng, Solly Msimango, refuted claims there is instability in the multiparty coalition.
“We are not aware of such intention as we all took a resolution on Tuesday night to nominate Clr Tania Campbell to the position of mayor,” he said.
He added it is unfortunate that the ANC and EFF’s failure to agree on their coalition terms affected the business of the day. Campbell was ousted last week during a motion of no confidence that was tabled by the ANC.
