A sharp rise in tension in recent weeks and a dispute over top posts at the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) has resulted in coalition partners indicating they intend to withdraw from cooperating with the majority ANC in what was until now one of the more stable coalition arrangements in Gauteng.

However, at the time of publication,  no coalition members of the Mayoral Committee (Mayco) had yet formally resigned their position and neither Mayoral or ELM spokespersons could confirm or deny political developments or formal resignations.

The ANC has not yet reacted to developments formally but seems to have adopted a wait-and-see approach informed by formal resignations, which have not yet happened.

A sliver of hope that the coalition could be preserved in its present form is being held out by some in the form of an expected meeting next week between the ANC and its present partners to discuss demands.

But key and influential coalition party partner Vincent Jones (New Horizon Movement), who has acted as Executive Mayor on several occasions and is still an MMC, confirmed to Vaalweekblad late Thursday that he intended to resign en masse with other coalition partners in due course once consultations had been concluded.

Jones said coalition members had made it clear in recent weeks that they wanted representation on ELM’s powerful Political Management Team (PMT) as either Executive Mayor or Council Speaker and also needed representation on the Budgetary Committee which controlled ELM finances.

ELM recently received a qualified audit by the Auditor-General.

Jones said coalition members were also unhappy about an ANC Lekgotla held outside of Emfuleni which was clearly intended as only an ANC function and not a coalition government process.

“The ANC has been informed verbally of our collective decision but we have been invited to a meeting next week with the ANC after their discussions with their Gauteng Province structures,” said Jones.

These discussions are likely to directly involve Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi for whom the Sedibeng ANC has been a major pillar of political support in his bid for the premiership last year.

Nationally, the ANC has been trending towards the EFF for some time, say political analysts.

“The ANC, as the largest single party in Emfuleni council, will without present coalition partners be left with no option other than to enter into a coalition with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for an outright majority to govern once the present GLU collapse is formalised.

“All opposition parties together without the EFF will also not be able to form a majority administration – leaving the EFF as kingmaker,” said prominent political analyst and observer Wayne Sussman.

Opposition political parties were however late on Thursday engaged in intensive caucusing. The former coalition parties have also now for days been approaching and consulting other political parties.

Several parties are formulating a Motion of No Confidence in Mayor  Sipho Radebe (ANC) to be submitted once the dissolution of the GLU is formalised.

The Sedibeng Region is key to the ANC’s fortunes in the upcoming 2024 general elections. A coalition between the ANC and EFF at ELM would confirm the strengthening trend of cooperation between the erstwhile bitter foes, said prominent election analyst Wayne Sussman.

According to MMC Jones, he intends to resign in due course and all coalition parties had decided to act in concert after consultation and resign en masse.

This mass resignation would be done formally once all former coalition parties had fully consulted with their own leaders and structures, said Jones.

The coalition partners involved are the PAC (3 seats), NHM (1 seat), Vaal Lekgotla (1 seat) and Solidarity (2 seats), and PA (1 seat).