Joburg mayor Phalatse breathes again as no-confidence motion is withdrawn

A motion of no confidence in Johannesburg's DA mayor Mpho Phalatse was withdrawn on Thursday afternoon.

This came after councillor Margaret Arnolds, from thee minority block (African Independent Congress) stood up to tell council that she no longer wanted the motion tabled.

“It is with a heavy heart that I withdraw this motion because I have not seen this 'golden start' that Phalatse speaks of. Instead of attending to residents in our vulnerable communities like Eldorado Park, she prioritises smiling at golf tournaments,” Arnolds said.

“We are going to monitor you, and we will hold you accountable — this motion will come back,” she said.

This is the second motion to be tabled against Phalatse, the first one successfully ousting her. Phalatse was later reinstated when she challenged the decision in the courts. 

TimesLIVE understands that the decision to withdraw the motion was influenced by developments in Ekurhuleni, where ANC regional chairperson Mzwandile Masina was tipped to resign.

Masina was facing disciplinary action for undermining upper structures who instructed him not to table a motion of no confidence against Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell, as the ANC PEC was still negotiating a deal with the EFF.

Masina was accused of not toeing the provincial party line by fielding an ANC candidate where the agreement was to take back the metros from the DA and co-govern, with the EFF at the helm of Ekurhuleni and the ANC in charge of Joburg.

When the ANC candidate was fielded in Ekurhuleni, the EFF withdrew their candidate and voted with the DA to bring ousted mayor Tania Campbell back due to the ANC reneging on the agreement.

It is said that while the Joburg motion against Phalatse was scheduled to go as planned, Masina's resignation brought about a change of dynamic.

With Masina's resignation on the cards,  he is expected to apologise to ANC members for destabilising coalition negotiations the party was having with the EFF in its attempt to regain the Ekurhuleni municipality.

This move resulted in the motion of no confidence against Phalatse being withdrawn until the possible negotiations with the red berets are concluded and a new coalition agreement among the parties in the two metros is negotiated. 

TimesLIVE

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