ActionSA’s new Joburg Speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, promises accountability and service delivery

Nearly a month after the formation of an ANC-ActionSA “conditional” partnership, ActionSA secured its first oversight position in the City of Johannesburg when Nobuhle Mthembu was elected as council Speaker on Wednesday during a special council meeting.

The position became vacant last week after the resignation of the African Independent Congress’s Margaret Arnolds, who has since been appointed as the city’s finance MMC.

Mthembu (37) emerged victorious after getting 180 of 248 votes against the DA’s Nonhlanhla Sifumba’s 68. Her candidacy was endorsed by ActionSA, the ANC and the EFF.

Delivering her acceptance speech, Mthembu promised an era of accountability in which service delivery would take centre stage.

“Allow me to set the tone for the work ahead and make it clear that today marks the beginning of a new era. An era focused on restoring our city to its former glory, where service delivery will take centre stage.

“This is an era in which we will instil a culture of accountability and transparency, and where at every turn we will work together to ensure that the best interests of our residents anchor our efforts,” she said.

ActionSA’s Nobuhle Mthembu is duly elected speaker of council after getting 180 votes against the DA’s Nonhlanhla Sifumba’s 68. pic.twitter.com/y05M75Z1UO

— Nonkululeko Njilo (@Nkulee_Njilo) August 21, 2024

Sifumba’s loss was almost a certainty as the DA alone did not have sufficient numbers to elect her. Last week, the party’s mayoral candidate Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku was defeated by the ANC’s Dada Morero.

The DA has called for the dissolution of the council, a motion which has little chance of succeeding because the council can only be dissolved with a two-thirds majority vote. The ANC holds the highest number of seats and has the support of ActionSA and EFF, so the DA won’t come close to the votes it needs.

Despite this stance, Kayser-Echeozonjoku defended the decision to field a candidate.

“We stand by our position that the best solution for stability in Johannesburg is the dissolution of the council followed by fresh elections to give power back to the residents of Johannesburg. We must enable them to come up with a new mandate,” she said.

'Issue by issue basis'

Last month, ActionSA entered into an agreement with the ANC that would see it use its 44 seats to vote with the ANC on an “issue by issue” basis.

The party’s precondition for the agreement was the removal of Kabelo Gwamanda as mayor. It argued that his term “has been an unmitigated failure, with the evidence of the downward spiral of Johannesburg evident all around the city”.

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

Johannesburg, with a population of more than six million people, faces many challenges including fiscal pressures, crumbling infrastructure, revenue collection problems and service delivery challenges, including the provision of electricity and potable water.

Mthembu has vowed to use her position to get Johannesburg back on track as a hub of investment and to rejuvenate the inner city.

“We are in rebuilding mode, and the residents of Johannesburg simply cannot be expected to wait any longer for the effective delivery of frontline services — from reliable electricity and water to functional traffic lights, refuse removal and pothole repairs.”

ActionSA had also promised to help scrap the R200 electricity surcharge fee in exchange for several oversight positions in all three Gauteng metros.

Shortly after delivering her speech, an EFF councillor rose to quiz Mthembu about this.

“You have been vocal about the R200 surcharge fee, but you said nothing about it in your speech. Can you say something [now]?” asked the councillor.

Mthembu responded that it was not the time to debate her speech.

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

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the DA was “deeply concerned” about Joburg’s future, saying the ANC had tamped down expectations while its coalition partners were promising significant change.

“We do not believe that dramatic change will be possible, as the same people who presided over the city’s decay cannot possibly be expected to rescue it.”

Mthembu announced her priorities as follows:

• “Work with the executive to resolve the billing crisis, ensuring the city has the resources to provide public services;


• Place rejuvenation of the inner city at the top of the agenda;


• Tackle corruption, patronage and wastefulness in the use of resources;


• Ensure strict enforcement of city bylaws, particularly concerning illegal trading and dumping; and

Ensure that accountability is entrenched in a collaborative environment for the effective delivery of services and the restoration of good governance.” DM