The Tshwane example: Why coalitions are essential to avoid corruption

My Fellow South African,

Nothing can be further from the truth. In fact, coalitions are essential to keep each other accountable. When I was mayor of the City of Johannesburg from 2016 until 2019, coalition partners helped raise essential service delivery concerns and opened doors to key role players. 

The City of Tshwane is a prime example of effective coalition oversight. This week, Mayor Cilliers Brink announced a public participation process to lease the Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations to help generate electricity to combat load-shedding. The announcement vindicates ActionSA. 

While others have criticised us as being a difficult coalition partner, it is exactly because of our caucus’ oversight that corruption in Tshwane was avoided. While many may have forgotten, it was ActionSA who blocked former Mayor Randall Williams from pushing through an unsolicited R26 billion deal to lease the two power stations.

Williams was effectively trying to push through an illegal bid to his preferred company – hoping to get the support of the ANC and EFF – but it was ActionSA who said no and requested transparency. And later, it was ActionSA who demanded accountability by asking for Williams’ resignation. 

This is how coalitions work effectively: when one player is found ethically lacking, the other partner provides oversight to ensure that corruption and abuse do not occur. ActionSA will never be in a coalition to protect each other when corruption is practised, or when service delivery to all is not prioritised. 

In the same vein, coalitions can help to avoid corruption all over South Africa if political parties don’t turn a blind eye to irregular issues. As ActionSA is preparing to become a party in government in 2024, we will bring this same accountability and transparency to all the coalition governments we join. 

Make no mistake, the multiparty charter is not going to keep ActionSA from speaking out. Our voice will never be swallowed but the multiparty charter. We will always act in the interest and rights of South Africans as a priority. 

In Tshwane, we remain fully committed to the multiparty government. We celebrate the recent success of our caucus in ensuring that additional funding is allocated towards the Hammanskraal water treatment plant when it was overlooked for many years. 

We will not allow the 30 lives that were lost in Hammanskraal due to the recent cholera outbreak to be in vain. We will keep the multi-party government accountable to take action. 

And we have not allowed those found guilty to get away. We remain concerned that instead of bearing consequences for his actions, former mayor Williams remains in the city council and ask that the Speaker complete investigations urgently in this regard. 

Nothing will stop us from getting to the bottom of how the city awarded a failed R290 million tender to Blackhead Consulting, owned by state capture accused Edwin Sodi, in 2019 (when ActionSA was not yet launched) to complete the Hammanskraal wastewater treatment plant. 

Colleagues, coalitions are not to be feared. They actively work to ensure that political parties are kept in check, and ensure that the will of the people is ensured. As we have seen in Tshwane, coalition parties helped avoid disastrous decisions. 

Let us continue the hard work to fix South Africa, telling the good story of how coalition parties make a difference. An alternative to the failed rule of the ruling party is possible.