The events that led to the collapse of the multi-party governing coalition in the City of Johannesburg have understandably been upsetting for many South Africans. This is not just because it was led to the return of an ANC and EFF coalition in Johannesburg but also because it has seen ActionSA and the DA, two parties that are critical to future coalitions, publicly at odds with one another about this coalition collapse.
It is easy to trivialise these differences as squabbles, but the truth is that they arise from two fundamentally different perspectives of coalition. The DA deemed it too costly to save the coalition while ActionSA believed that the cost of an ANC and EFF government was too great upon the residents of Johannesburg. As we approach a future of more coalitions (and more complex coalitions) these differences are anything other than trivial when polling is now showing the ANC falling to 37%.
However, in the aftermath of these unfortunate events, some objectively false information has been spread. As already indicated, these events are important and, therefore, do require the record to be set straight. For this reason, I offer you either the above video or text, whichever you find more convenient, to point out the objective facts and events that led to this coalition collapse.
From an ActionSA standpoint, we do not believe we, alongside parties like the IFP, VF Plus, ACDP or UIM could have done more to prevent the return of the ANC and EFF. The same cannot be objectively said about the DA:
- In September 2022 the multi-party coalition lost its majority in Johannesburg when the Patriotic Alliance departed the coalition.
- Immediately all parties within the coalition undertook to restore this lost majority because governing with a minority would leave our government vulnerable.
- The only viable pathway to restoring that majority involved bringing the PA back into the coalition. Notwithstanding the frustration of the PA’s power-based principles of coalition (not ideological like the other parties in our arrangement), the electoral maths arising from 2021 elections makes this the only pathway to restore a majority.
- Despite this the DA took a strange position of resisting these negotiations, preferring to govern with a minority. This position was non-sensical when facing certain motions of no confidence and would condemn the city to return to ANC rule.
- All political parties in the coalition had to call the DA to order in a meeting of the national leaders and urge them to negotiate to restore the lost majority in Johannesburg. Only on 2 December was this accomplished and the DA agreed to negotiate.
- In the meantime, our governing (now) minority coalition was unable to pass loan agreements as part of their operating revenue resulting in downsizing of service delivery budgets – a particularly severe issue given the direct impact on key delivery priorities in Johannesburg.
- Despite this urgency, the DA dragged their feet and negotiations only commended on 11 January 2023. This is despite known motions of no confidence looking at a scheduled meeting of 26 January 2023.
- The DA adopted a position in the negotiations which would offer the PA only one MMC in Joburg (The Transport portfolio held by ActionSA). This was not going to succeed given that the PA had a deal with the ANC for 2 MMCs and (therefore) any offer from our governing coalition would need to be competitive with this offer. Once again, lamenting the PA’s prioritising of positions over ideology aside – this is what was necessary to restore the coalition majority or face the return of the ANC.
- At the final moment, recognising the DA’s willingness to collapse talks and allow the return of the ANC to Johannesburg, ActionSA took the remarkable step of offering another MMC position of Economic Development. ActionSA did this, in the face of internal opposition, because the alternative of an ANC government would have been far worse.
- At this point it is necessary to observe that all political parties in the coalition, especially ActionSA, appeared more committed to sustaining the coalition arrangement led by DA Mayor Mpho Phalatse than the DA itself was.
- The DA’s negotiating team agreed to the proposal (after having engaged the DA’s national leadership) as did the teams of all other parties. The proposal was then presented to the PA who accepted the deal and publicly announced their return to the coalition in Johannesburg, restoring its majority.
- The DA’s Fedex then met and rejected the deal (even though it was ActionSA making the concessions). They did so on the grounds of the PA having self-enriching intent in the portfolio of Economic Development.
- All other political parties in the coalition (ActionSA, IFP, ACDP, VF Plus and UIM) wrote to the DA and urged them to reconsider their position.
This communication indicated the contradiction of the DA being seemingly happy with giving the PA the Transport portfolio (budget of R5 billion) but taking issue with the Economic Development portfolio (budget of R800 million).
It was also recorded by the coalition that if the DA had evidence of any past wrongdoing on the part of the PA then such should be tabled and the PA should not be brought into the coalition in any position.The DA still refused in the face of all parties advising that their position would collapse talks and ensure the return of the ANC in Johannesburg.
- The position of the DA was put to the PA who, as predicted by all other parties, rejected the proposal and indicated they would no longer form part of talks involving the DA.
- On 26 January 2023, our governing multi-party coalition in Johannesburg faced the motions of no confidence without am majority and was voted out of office.
You will note from the above that the DA appear to have engaged in these talks with the intent of their failure. ActionSA, IFP, VF Plus, ACDP and UIM have worked tirelessly to ensure that these negotiations succeeded. The truth appears to be that the DA took a decision some time ago that the coalition in Johannesburg would collapse and was not willing to take any steps to change this prophecy. The DA had the option of stepping back and allowing another coalition partner to lead this arrangement, if they were unwilling to do so, and this would have ensured the coalition surviving to continue governing.
The direct consequence of the DA’s actions, or inactions, is the handing of Johannesburg to a new governing coalition of corruption involving the ANC and the EFF. In the coming days it will similarly result in such an arrangement being put in place in Ekurhuleni. ActionSA’s outspokenness on this issue has been precisely because we committed to keep the ANC and EFF out of government and that we believe the DA has betrayed its own commitment to the residents of these metros.
Despite this, and recognising that there is no alternative to the ANC that does not involve ActionSA and the DA working together, we are engaging the DA’s leadership on these matters. It is not easy in light of recent events, but we need to ensure both parties get on the same page when it comes to the commitment to provide an alternative to the ANC and EFF. Critically, this cannot happen if the DA prefers to pave the way to ANC/EFF governments rather than working within the multi-party coalitions that have elected them into leading many municipalities.
Understandably, with these events being understood and falsehoods having been corrected, the question on the minds of many South Africans is where to from here for these parties and multi-party coalition. In this respect 2 important steps are being undertaken:
- We need to safeguard the final coalition in the Gauteng Metros which is the City of Tshwane. There are serious issues that need to be addressed here, not least of which arises from the worst audit outcome in the City of Tshwane’s history. On 10 January 2023 the multi-party coalition met, resolved and communicated, that there must be political consequences for this outcome. ActionSA has written to our partners urging that we need to make good on this commitment, if we are to differentiate ourselves from the ANC.
As a result of the trust deficit arising from the events in Johannesburg we have suggested that such a meeting should be open to the media or recorded so that parties cannot say one thing in the meeting and do another once they depart. We await their response in this regard but cannot imagine why they would be reluctant to such a request if the intention is to conduct good faith meetings.
- We have reached out to the DA to ensure that the two parties can forge a better way forward. This will not be easy because the most fundamental basis for such an effort must be the commitment to keep the ANC out of government in 2024, something which the DA’s actions brought into question in Johannesburg. That said, both parties are essential to an alternative to the ANC in 2024 and must find a way of charting a way forward publicly for South Africans to have confidence in an alternative.
Below I provide the links to various communications which demonstrate the consistency of these events described above:
Setting the Record Straight on the City of Johannesburg Multi-Party Coalition Government
The events that led to the collapse of the multi-party governing coalition in the City of Johannesburg have understandably been upsetting for many South Africans. This is not just because it was led to the return of an ANC and EFF coalition in Johannesburg but also because it has seen ActionSA and the DA, two parties that are critical to future coalitions, publicly at odds with one another about this coalition collapse.
It is easy to trivialise these differences as squabbles, but the truth is that they arise from two fundamentally different perspectives of coalition. The DA deemed it too costly to save the coalition while ActionSA believed that the cost of an ANC and EFF government was too great upon the residents of Johannesburg. As we approach a future of more coalitions (and more complex coalitions) these differences are anything other than trivial when polling is now showing the ANC falling to 37%.
However, in the aftermath of these unfortunate events, some objectively false information has been spread. As already indicated, these events are important and, therefore, do require the record to be set straight. For this reason, I offer you either the above video or text, whichever you find more convenient, to point out the objective facts and events that led to this coalition collapse.
From an ActionSA standpoint, we do not believe we, alongside parties like the IFP, VF Plus, ACDP or UIM could have done more to prevent the return of the ANC and EFF. The same cannot be objectively said about the DA:
This communication indicated the contradiction of the DA being seemingly happy with giving the PA the Transport portfolio (budget of R5 billion) but taking issue with the Economic Development portfolio (budget of R800 million).
It was also recorded by the coalition that if the DA had evidence of any past wrongdoing on the part of the PA then such should be tabled and the PA should not be brought into the coalition in any position.The DA still refused in the face of all parties advising that their position would collapse talks and ensure the return of the ANC in Johannesburg.
You will note from the above that the DA appear to have engaged in these talks with the intent of their failure. ActionSA, IFP, VF Plus, ACDP and UIM have worked tirelessly to ensure that these negotiations succeeded. The truth appears to be that the DA took a decision some time ago that the coalition in Johannesburg would collapse and was not willing to take any steps to change this prophecy. The DA had the option of stepping back and allowing another coalition partner to lead this arrangement, if they were unwilling to do so, and this would have ensured the coalition surviving to continue governing.
The direct consequence of the DA’s actions, or inactions, is the handing of Johannesburg to a new governing coalition of corruption involving the ANC and the EFF. In the coming days it will similarly result in such an arrangement being put in place in Ekurhuleni. ActionSA’s outspokenness on this issue has been precisely because we committed to keep the ANC and EFF out of government and that we believe the DA has betrayed its own commitment to the residents of these metros.
Despite this, and recognising that there is no alternative to the ANC that does not involve ActionSA and the DA working together, we are engaging the DA’s leadership on these matters. It is not easy in light of recent events, but we need to ensure both parties get on the same page when it comes to the commitment to provide an alternative to the ANC and EFF. Critically, this cannot happen if the DA prefers to pave the way to ANC/EFF governments rather than working within the multi-party coalitions that have elected them into leading many municipalities.
Understandably, with these events being understood and falsehoods having been corrected, the question on the minds of many South Africans is where to from here for these parties and multi-party coalition. In this respect 2 important steps are being undertaken:
As a result of the trust deficit arising from the events in Johannesburg we have suggested that such a meeting should be open to the media or recorded so that parties cannot say one thing in the meeting and do another once they depart. We await their response in this regard but cannot imagine why they would be reluctant to such a request if the intention is to conduct good faith meetings.
Below I provide the links to various communications which demonstrate the consistency of these events described above: