ANC wants Tshwane take-over but it needs more votes

The ANC recently regained the leadership of the Johannesburg metro and the party is now seeking to do the same in Tshwane but it does not have enough votes.

Tshwane ANC council chief-whip Aaron Maluleka said the party was in talks with other parties, including EFF to form a coalition government.

“We want to have solid coalition partnerships,” he said, adding there were no formal agreements yet.

“The same thing that happened in Johannesburg can happen in Tshwane because we are not happy about the state of service delivery in the Capital City.

“The metro’s finances are not stable and we are constantly behind on payments to Eskom. One day the residents of Tshwane will wake up in the dark because of this,” Maluleka said.

Last week, the ANC ousted DA mayor Mpho Phalatse in Johannesburg with the help of EFF votes. While the ANC’s partnership with EFF and other small parties got them enough votes to unseat the mayor in Johannesburg, it does not appear to have enough in Tshwane.

EFF and ANC have 98 votes but need 108 in Tshwane.

The ANC’s take-over would only be possible through a partnership with one of the DA-led coalition partners.

In the last motion of no confidence against mayor Randall Williams, the EFF and ANC lobbied to get coalition partner ActionSA to vote with them but this was not successful.

In a briefing on Monday, ActionSA Gauteng leader Bongani Baloyi said the coalition government in Tshwane was stable and they would continue supporting it.

Tshwane municipality might be the only metro that the ANC will not be able to regain power if the coalition sustains stability, he said.

Baloyi said the ANC could win back Ekurhuleni.

“In Johannesburg there is no longer a coalition and we have warned that Ekurhuleni was next for the take over because we do not have strong enough numbers,” Baloyi said.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the coalitions were not working. “We need to relook at the structure of coalition government in SA because it is not working.”

Tshwane council seats:
– ANC: 34.63% council seats: 75
– DA: 32.03% council seats: 69
– EFF: 10.69% council seat : 23
– Action SA: 8.64% council seats: 19
– Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus): 7.84% council seats: 17

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