ANC/EFF coalition tipped to accede to PA's demands to axe Amad and 'save Joburg mayorship'

The ANC/EFF alliance is tipped to accede to the demands of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) to axe Joburg mayor Thapelo Amad, to save the coalition.

This follows PA leader Gayton McKenzie's vow to unseat Amad and his admission that his party had “backed the wrong horse” after incoherent media interviews in which Amad is said to have embarrassed the city.

Amad, from the Al Jama-ah minority party, was elected at the behest of the ANC and EFF as part of their plan to claw back all metros from the DA multiparty coalitions in Gauteng. 

“We voted for this man, which may be forgivable. To not remove him now would be unforgivable,” said McKenzie.

ActionSA had announced its decision to file a no-confidence motion last week against Amad to “save the city from embarrassment”, which the PA said it would back.

The motion needed to be approved by the programming committee before it could find expression in the council agenda.

However, ActionSA's bid to unseat Amad was stopped in its tracks on Tuesday when ANC and EFF councillors on the committee were a no-show and the meeting could not proceed without a quorum.

ActionSA accused the ANC/EFF alliance of deliberately blocking the motion against the mayor by not attending the programming committee meeting to schedule the council agenda.

ActionSA Gauteng leader Funzi Ngobeni said it was another “desperate attempt by the ANC/EFF coalition of doom to cling to power”, as they did not have the numbers to defeat the no-confidence motion should it pass the programming committee and come before council.

However, it appears that while insiders believe the parties will accede to the PA's demands for the ANC/EFF alliance to internally oust Amad and find a replacement from the minority parties to save the mayorship, the PA says it is still in consultation with both camps to save the mayorship.

Despite Amad's looming exit from office, the ANC and EFF remain in agreement that neither would field a candidate for the hot seat. The replacement mayor is likely to emerge from the minority camp yet again.

The PA's deputy president and Joburg's transport MMC, Kenny Kunene, says the party is engaged in talks with both the DA/multiparty camp and the ANC/EFF and minority parties to see which camp offers the better deal.

“We are in consultations and meetings with all parties. It depends which grouping gives us a better deal to service the residents of the city of Joburg,” said Kunene.

The PA had previously ditched the DA/ActionSA coalition last year, which saw the ousting of DA mayor Mpho Phalatse — and joined the ANC/EFF and minority parties in their taking over Gauteng metros.

The city's next council meeting is scheduled for April 25.

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