Coalition instability tour heads to Emfuleni, as no confidence tune plays for mayor

While nearly all South Africa’s biggest metros have been gripped by unstable coalitions for some time now, local municipalities such as Emfuleni are also starting to feel the effects of the instability caused by political infighting.

Emfuleni, one of the country’s most poor performing municipalities, situated in the south of Johannesburg which has also had several businesses threatening to boycott for monthly municipal services, has had two motions of no confidence in a space of weeks against mayor Sipho Radebe.

ALSO READ: ‘Service delivery is a joke’: Gatvol businesses to boycott paying rates in Emfuleni

In the second attempt to have Radebe removed, the coalition government led by the African National Congress (ANC), successfully defended the motion which was sponsored by the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC).

41 people voted against the motion while 14 abstained and 33 were in support of the motion.

What’s likely going to happen in Emfuleni?

The ANC is likely going to continue leading the embattled municipality through a minority government of 41 seats unless if the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) agree to enter into some arrangement with them.

The ANC currently has 38 seats while the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the Community Solidarity has one and two seats, respectively.

Emfuleni coalition arrangement has been relatively stable until recently

The ANC has been leading the coalition government since the 2021 Local Government Elections but that changed in recent weeks when two of their coalition partners in the PAC and the New Horizon Movement (NHM) called for change in leadership, saying service delivery in Emfuleni had gone from bad to worse during the coalition agreement in question.

ALSO READ: ‘We tried everything in our power to fix Emfuleni’

Emfuleni opposition react to motion

Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus in Emfuleni, Teboho Tlokwe said while the ANC can form a minority government, the only difficulty with such an arrangement is the fact that one always has to negotiate with the opposition to pass reports such as budget.

Reacting further to Tuesday’s motion of no confidence outcomes, Tlokwe said they are very disappointed.

“The outcome became obvious when we were informed that the EFF is going to abstain from voting and indeed the results depicts such.

“We are hoping that the survived mayor will take advice from opposition parties to improve service delivery which is our fundamental mandate as councillors, however, Emfuleni will never be the same.

“We also believe if all opposition parties that form the majority have the best interest of the communities at heart and will work together to hold the ANC led coalition accountable at all cost and make sure uninterrupted services are rendered to the residents of Emfuleni,” Tlokwe said.

Gerda Senekal from the Freedom Front Plus described the ANC victory as hollow as they remain a minority government that would require any of the opposition parties to do anything.

“Without discounting the fact that service delivery should remain uppermost in our minds and in everything we do, let’s continue to hold hands.

“Let’s engage our communities and account on what happened in the Council Meeting and let’s all go back to the drawing board,” said Senekal.

She said Emfuleni will never be the same again, stressing that never again will the ANC take any of them for granted.

Emfuleni mayoral spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni said the ANC in the Sedibeng region was best placed to provide comment on the latest developments at the troubled municipalities.

ANC happy with outcome of motion

Spokesperson for the ANC in the Sedibeng region Velile Mkhontwana said they are pleased that the motion of no confidence against Radebe failed.

“As the ANC, our main focus is on stabilising the municipality and ensuring that service delivery is prioritised and we are committed to working with all parties in the council to achieve this goal.

“Our ultimate aim is to ensure that the people of Emfuleni receive the services they need and deserve,” said Mkhontwana.

In recent months, the council has taken important steps towards achieving this aim, according to Mkhontwana.

He said the appointment of a new municipal manager is just one of these steps, saying they are also developing a plan to increase revenue collection, improve governance, and streamline service delivery.

“We believe that by working together, we can achieve positive outcomes for the people of Emfuleni. “We remain committed to engaging with all stakeholders and finding common ground in order to move forward,” Mkhontwana added.

Meanwhile, service delivery in Emfuleni has been a big problem for residents who have been complaining about the non-removal of refuse, potholes among many other things.

Recently, a group of ward councillors staged a protest march to the municipality demanding quality services.

ALSO READ: Councillors threaten to destabilise Emfuleni unless service delivery improves