ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Picture: Timothy Bernard/African News Agency (ANA)
Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
Cape Town - ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says they have to seriously look at coalitions as their purpose is to make them work and deliver services.
This comes as a number of hung councils are faced with changes in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Mbalula said this week a team led by head of political education David Makhura is going to give a report on coalitions.
He added that in some coalitions, if other parties don’t get what they want, they simply walk out and the coalition collapses.
Mbalula said coalitions also undermine service delivery at local level.
“Coalitions, you have seen in the system of government, undermine service delivery. We change mayors every weekend. Small political parties want to lead, no regard for the will of the people.
“David Makhura, what he is going to do (is to look at) have we deviated? What is in the best interests of the ANC? What does the ANC stand for? There is no respect in coalitions. If somebody doesn’t get a tender, they wake up one day and walk out of the coalition.
“Makhura is going to look at this and look at the reports of coalitions. Our purpose in serving in these coalitions is to make them work. The ANC has to evaluate, why do you give power to small parties? Why do you give a party with three seats power? We have got to look at that politically. This leadership of the ANC will have to take decisions,” said Mbalula.
The ANC is in coalition with Al-Jama-ah, whose councillor Thapelo Amad is now the mayor of Johannesburg, the EFF and other parties in the city.
It is now gunning for Ekurhuleni where an EFF councillor has been elected speaker.
In KwaZulu-Natal they got National Freedom Party councillor Zandile Myeni elected as deputy mayor of eThekwini a few weeks ago. This was after the ANC removed former deputy mayor Philani Mavundla of Abantu Batho Congress late last year.
The EFF pulled out of its coalition with the IFP in KZN after they fell out over Umhlathuze municipality.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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