South Africa

Reeling from ANC leader’s ‘betrayal’, Cape Town opposition doubles down on speaker Felicity Purchase's removal

27 Mar 2025

The opposition in the City of Cape Town has described ANC caucus leader Banele Majingo’s defection to the DA as ‘bitterly disappointing’. While the DA celebrates its coup, the opposition remains determined to make its mark.

Opposition parties in the City of Cape Town say they’re determined to remove Speaker Felicity Purchase, even if they have to go to court.

This comes as opposition councillors angrily deal with the resignation and defection to the DA of ANC caucus leader Banele Majingo, minutes before he was due to table a motion of no confidence in Purchase.

It all went down in the Cape Town council on Thursday, 27 March 2025. Excited opposition councillors were due to table a motion of no confidence in Purchase, whom they have claimed lacks impartiality.

As the council meeting began, Majingo was not present to hear his motion – a requirement in council. Minutes later, the defection bomb dropped.

As Majingo was no longer a member of the ANC, he also no longer occupied one of the ANC’s 43 council seats.

After the news became public, jubilation and cheers greeted the DA’s newest recruit. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis posted a video on social media platforms urging ANC members, councillors and voters that “he (Majingo) has joined the DA, and I invite you to do the same”.

Read more: Cape Town politics shift: ANC’s Banele Majingo joins DA, foiling no confidence motion

Majingo said the “difficult decision” to leave the ANC was the best course of action for him at this point.

“After careful consideration, I have come to realise that my personal values and principles are now more aligned with those of the Democratic Alliance.”

“Their vision draws me, and I am committed to their pursuit of clean governance and economic growth. I am increasingly impressed with their commitment to deliver for poor residents and the unemployed.”

EWN reported that Majingo might take up a seat in the council for the DA as its veteran councillors Nora Grose and Paddy Chapple retired from the council on Thursday.

‘We’re not giving up’

The ANC said Majingo’s resignation was not a “principled stand for good governance as he claimed”, but stemmed “from his fear that he would face challenges in manipulating the candidate selection process for the upcoming 2026 local government elections”.

The ANC said Majingo’s name had appeared in former president and party national list committee chair Kgamela Motlanthe’s report, which highlighted serious concerns around alleged manipulated candidate selection lists.

“As early as last year, we communicated with the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), urging a review of his position as leader of the opposition. The PEC was already in the process of approving the decision of the Regional Executive Committee (REC) to address these issues,” said the ANC.

The ANC, the second-biggest party in the council, added: “His departure is ultimately a strategic move to safeguard his position in council and protect his salary, rather than a genuine commitment to clean governance”.

Opposition parties hosted a briefing on the failed tabling of the motion.

ANC Dullah Omar regional deputy chairperson Sonwabile Ngxiza said, “From the position of the African National Congress, we are bitterly disappointed and shocked at one of our own who was entrusted with a position of leadership.”

“This is a moment where a traitor within the ANC has been revealed, and I want to place it on record as a point of view that this is betrayal,” said Ngxiza.

On the no-confidence motion against Purchase, Ngxiza said: “An honest, courageous man of honour and integrity would not have allowed a situation where this collective organisation placed this motion in his name, knowing that he is not committed… So that then raises questions about his character, that raises questions about his loyalty and commitment.

Battle lines drawn

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor Mzubanzi Dambuza said that as a multiparty coalition in the city, the opposition would “continue doing the work that we’ve been doing, making sure that one way or another, the speaker is removed”.

Opposition parties said Purchase had attempted to protect JP Smith from facing tough questions in a January council meeting after his office was raided by police in an investigation the SAPS said was linked to the construction mafia.

Read more: ‘No strong evidence’ in Xanthea Limberg, JP Smith saga, says Cape Town mayor

The Patriotic Alliance’s Chesslyn Steenberg said: “What has happened today, I think, should not surprise us… This is politics, but nonetheless, how dirty it might be.”

“Today, I think the DA smiles because they have won this round, but we can assure them as a multiparty caucus, they will not win the game… and we will meet them on the battlefield, and they can take it how they wish to take it, but we will meet them there.”

Steenberg said the motion against Purchase would be tabled again. Alternatively, another option would be to approach the courts to enable a secret ballot.

The Good party was not present at the briefing, but said it would bring its own motion of no confidence.

Party caucus whip Johnathan Cupido said, “It is clear we cannot rely on the majority opposition, the ANC. They have become unreliable and ineffective. Purchase has failed in her duty to represent all members of council and must be held accountable.”

The DA has a majority 134 seats in the 231-seat council. This means a motion of no confidence, whether via a secret ballot or not, would require several DA members to go against their own caucus. DM

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South Africa

‘We’re not giving up’

Battle lines drawn