DA marches to Pretoria

18 August 2016 - 08:27 By OLEBOGENG MOLATLHWA and DOMINIC MAHLANGU

South Africa, brace yourself! Potholed roads, clean water, refuse removal and tendering systems will be at the centre of debates in municipalities in which no party won a majority. Yesterday Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, drew a clear line in the sand, saying that his party would vote with the DA, the IFP and other opposition parties across the country but would not enter into coalitions with them.This stance means that councils will have to debate each and every issue to be voted on without the assurance of an ally's backing when it comes to a show of hands.Speaking on an open field in Alexandra township, in Johannesburg, Malema said the ANC would have to be punished "collectively" for refusing to get rid of President Jacob Zuma.Bantu Holomisa, the UDM leader, warned ANC-led provincial administrations not to try to exact revenge by impeding the work of coalition governments in municipalities no longer under their control.Holomisa warned yesterday of a lingering fear that ANC-run provinces would try to hinder opposition-led governments, suggesting that public finances could be used as a weapon. He said he hoped that coalition governments would be able to open lines of communication with provincial administrations.MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE HOOD: EFF leader Julius Malema, flanked by his deputy, Floyd Shivambu, right, and the party's secretary-general, Godrich Gardee, spell out their local government strategy in Alexandra, northern Johannesburg, yesterday Picture: KIM LUDBROOK/EP"There are fears that the ruling party will apply unconstitutional sanctions [against opposition-led coalition municipal governments] but we will deal with that. The ruling party must know that the money they are administering belongs to taxpayers," said Holomisa.Last week, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said he did not foresee any resistance to his programmes from coalition governments in any of the hung councils.Malema said yesterday that the ANC must be prepared to be in opposition. The fiery red berets leader said his party had decided to choose "the better devil" rather than support the ANC under Zuma.He said the EFF would not enter into a coalition with any party but was prepared to vote with the DA to dismantle the ANC's power.The EFF's decision will push the Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay metros into being run by minority governments - multiparty councils in which no voice is dominant. The DA won 43% of the vote in Tshwane, the ANC 41% and the EFF 12%.In Johannesburg, the ANC won 45%, the DA 38% and the EFF 11%, so an EFF-DA coalition would lead to the ANC being out-voted."We are caught between two devils," said Malema yesterday."The DA is a better devil than the ANC. We are not in bed with [the ANC]."He vowed that the ANC would not get a single vote from the EFF.The EFF, in its coalition negotiations with the ANC and the DA, had offered its support with strings attached. It insisted on the removal of Zuma, the expropriation of land without compensation, the nationalisation of banks, the removal of Die Stem from the national anthem, the scrapping of e-tolling in Johannesburg, and the provision of free education.Malema said the ANC and DA failed to accede to his party's demands and so there would be no coalition with either.The DA, together with other opposition parties - COPE, the UDM, the African Christian Democratic Party and the FF+ - revealed their coalition strategies and how they would support each other to govern municipalities across the country that the ANC failed to win outright.DA leader Mmusi Maimane, speaking a little later in Sandton, not far from where Malema had stated his position, said local government coalitions would make it possible for councils to fast-track service delivery. He said the partnerships would "put South Africa first".The opposition allies have agreed on the appointment of top council officials, the need for transparency in the tenders system, zero tolerance of corruption and the necessity of the appointment of a "fit for purpose" executive.Holomisa, an influential voice in formulating the opposition coalition strategy, said the will of the people for change must be respected. He said talks to iron out differences of approach within the coalition would continue but it had been agreed that the parties would join forces to bring about change.Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said: "Because of the way in which local government is configured in relation to provincial government, local government is heavily reliant on the province. The provincial government is able to intervene to ensure that certain things happen. So, we will see the ANC trying to control opposition parties but that will not work because these guys will go to court."DA mayoral candidates are expected to be sworn in soon across Gauteng - except in Johannesburg, where the EFF raised concerns about DA nominee Herman Mashaba.Maimane reaffirmed Mashaba's candidacy, but reports last night said the latter would be prepared to step aside to secure DA control of Johannesburg.If no middle ground is found in the dispute about Mashaba, the door will be opened for the ANC to form a minority government and return Parks Tau to the top seat.In KwaZulu-Natal, the IFP will lead five, possibly six, rural councils and three district municipalities after striking deals with the DA and EFF. Yesterday, IFP spokesman Narend Singh told the parliamentary press corps that co-operation between the IFP and the ANC was out of the question because it had been rejected by grassroots IFP structures.The IFP will support the DA mayoral candidates in Gauteng, opening the door for DA mayors in Johannesburg and Mogale City. Singh said co-operation agreements could presage the ousting of the ANC from national government in 2019, by which time opposition parties would be accustomed to working together. - Additional reporting by Jan-Jan Joubert..

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