ActionSA to work with ANC in Joburg for ‘power’ – ‘not just making noise as opposition’

22 Jul 2024

ActionSA will take up several key positions in the Johannesburg council and Gauteng legislature after striking a deal with the ANC. But first, it wants Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda axed and the city’s R200 electricity surcharge scrapped.

Johannesburg executive mayor Kabelo Gwamanda’s days in office are numbered after ActionSA entered into an agreement with the ANC which will see it vote with the ANC on an “issue-by-issue” basis.

The decision was taken by ActionSA’s highest decision-making body, the senate, at the weekend. ActionSA had long maintained it would never work with the ANC as it considered the party to be a “criminal enterprise”, but after the recent 29 May elections, the party said its position has had to change.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, 22 July, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said: “ActionSA has contemplated the fact that it holds a significant number of seats in Johannesburg, and we have come to the conclusion that the party cannot sit on its hands any more as the city continues its downward spiral to the detriment of Joburg residents.”

The city, with a population of more than six million, faces myriad challenges including fiscal pressures, crumbling infrastructure, revenue collection problems as well as service delivery challenges, including the provision of electricity and potable water.

The decision to work with the ANC comes after ActionSA was approached by the party seeking its support following a recent falling out with the Economic Freedom Fighters, with which it currently co-governs in metros like Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

The disagreement between the ANC and EFF almost brought the city of gold to its knees as the council failed to vote in favour of a R2.5-billion loan from Agence Française de Développement, which was meant for capital projects. The loan was rejected by the council at least three times as the EFF refused to vote with the ANC.

Read more: Minority government in Gauteng on shaky ground as ANC moves away from EFF

ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont confirmed it had been approached by the ANC and had decided to become a “constructive opposition” in Johannesburg.

The new arrangement will see ActionSA take up key positions in the Gauteng legislature and Joburg and Ekurhuleni councils in exchange for its support on certain issues.

These positions include the speaker of Joburg council, which is now occupied by the African Independent Congress’s Margaret Arnolds, and the chair of chairs position.

“We will not take up positions in the executive, but we will take up positions in the legislature in such a manner that we will have the structural foundation upon which we can be the kind of opposition that is required against the failing government in the city of Johannesburg.

“We will supply our 44 votes in Johannesburg metro to the government on an issue-by-issue basis, with the meritorious consideration of the issue at hand only,” Beaumont said.

To-do list

ActionSA’s support comes with three key conditions for its support of a new government in the city.

The first is the removal of Gwamanda as executive mayor, as his term “has been an unmitigated failure, with the evidence of the downward spiral of Johannesburg evident all around the city”.

Civil society group, the Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA), has also called for Gwamanda and his MMCs to be axed from their positions.

“Our call for change in the leadership of the city is not made in favour of any political party. We hold the view that whoever assumes leadership in the city must be held to account, irrespective of which political party they represent,” the JCA has said.

Gwamanda’s spokesperson, Mlimandlela Ndamase, declined to comment on the growing calls for the mayor’s removal.

At least four councillors told Daily Maverick that city finance MMC Dada Morero had been tipped to replace Gwamanda. Morero had a stint as mayor in 2022 – but occupied the position for just 25 days.

ActionSA’s second condition is the immediate reversal of the R2o0 surcharge fee imposed by City Power on prepaid electricity users that came into effect on 1 July 2024.

Read more: Food or electricity — power tax forces a cruel choice on Joburg’s poorest people

Morero previously indicated that the city would review the amount following pushback from residents and civil society, but insiders told Daily Maverick that this could take months and would impact an already strained budget.

The final condition by ActionSA is that it would produce a series of motions aimed at turning the city around in key service delivery areas, including infrastructure renewal and the rejuvenation of the inner city. This is a condition which it said had been agreed upon by the ANC in the city and the premier of the province, Panyaza Lesufi.

The Johannesburg council will meet on Thursday, 25 July. Among other issues, it is expected to debate and vote on the R2.5-billion loan which is likely to pass with ActionSA’s backing. It is also expected that Gwamanda will hand in his resignation, according to the Mail & Guardian.

U-turn

Mashaba was asked if his party had backtracked on its initial stance that the ANC was a corrupt organisation: “Why we’ve accepted to work with the ANC is so that we can hold them accountable and not just hold them accountable without having the power…

“Having the speaker position and running the legislature in these municipalities, with the numbers that we’ve got, it gives us power – it gives us the means to be able to deal with this issue and not just make noise as an opposition.”

Mashaba said having representation in the legislature and Joburg council would give ActionSA the upper hand as no report would pass through the council without his party’s approval and no one would be able to hide corruption.

“The level of corruption in this country has reached unacceptable, unprecedented levels,” Mashaba said. DM

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