Political instability is nothing new in the Johannesburg City Council. Since the last local government elections in 2021, the mayoral chain has changed hands six times. Just over a month ago, news broke of yet another shake-up in the rolling drama of break-ups, make-ups and set-ups that passes for governance in Johannesburg — a distraction from the real problems of a metro in decline.
And we can be sure of this: once the global G20 event leaves town at the end of the month, and with local government elections less than a year away, the politics of coalition shake-ups will resume.
No party in the council holds an outright majority, so coalition deals and floor-crossing have an outsized impact on who runs the city. At first, ActionSA partnered with the IFP, the DA, the FF Plus and the ACDP to elect Dr Mpho Phalatse as mayor. It already feels like distant history, and we often forget that this was only possible because the EFF joined in, determined to block the ANC from holding on to any metro. After two motions of no confidence, a court case, Dada Morero’s first brief stint as mayor, Phalatse’s return and a realignment that saw the EFF cross back to the ANC, Johannesburg entered the era of council kingmakers.
Minority parties — some with less than 1 per cent of the vote and no ward councillors — now occupy the shaky middle ground that larger blocs need to pass budgets, policies and key appointments. Because a majority of 50 per cent plus one is required, and neither side can get there alone, positions such as members of the mayoral committee (MMCs), the Speaker, Section 79 committee chairs and whips have become bargaining chips. When the EFF refused to back an ANC mayor in its bid to unseat Phalatse, the three-seat party Al Jama-ah ended up with two of its councillors serving as mayor before ActionSA eventually aligned with others to return Morero to office.
The instability is felt far beyond the mayor’s office. The crucial MMC for Finance, for instance, has changed hands three times in just over a year. The City Manager’s post has been equally fraught, only recently filled again by Floyd Brink, who had previously been ousted from the position.
That brings us to the current iteration of the Government of Local Unity (GLU) coalition, which nearly collapsed in October and is likely to face renewed strain once the G20 summit is over.
The cracks have been visible for some time. During the failed motion of no confidence against Mayor Morero, ActionSA abstained, effectively saving his position, but in the process lost the Speaker’s post and three Section 79 chairs. Shortly afterwards, former Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu resigned from the party. Thapelo Amad’s successor as mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda of Al Jama-ah, warned that the coalition could collapse if minority parties were not ‘shown respect’ by being given the vacant Finance or Transport MMC posts. Instead, Finance went to the ANC and Transport reverted to a councillor from the Patriotic Alliance.
A month earlier, the council failed to elect a new Chief Whip of Council to replace the controversial Sithembiso Zungu, who has since become MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services. Forty-one ballots were spoilt after coalition partners and ANC members objected that no woman had been nominated; the position eventually went to another ANC councillor.
What does all this political manoeuvring amount to for residents? In practical terms, it reveals how devoid of purpose and substance the current council has become. Debates on spending priorities and emergency allocations to assist communities caught in a water crisis are pushed down the agenda. Johannesburg residents are left without credible leadership and with no clear line of accountability as the executive plays musical chairs.
One might expect that, with local elections looming next year, parties would be doing everything possible to put their best foot forward. Instead, with the proposed Coalition Bill likely to raise the threshold for representation, many smaller parties appear to be ‘making hay while the sun shines’ — at the public’s expense.
JoburgCAN consistently calls for transparent, bipartisan and accountable governance in the City of Johannesburg. That is impossible when two core arms of the system — the executive and the legislature — are disrupted or dysfunctional. If we are serious about fixing the city, we have to focus on the fire, not the smoke and mirrors designed to divert our attention.
Written by Julia Fish, JoburgCAN Manager.