Splitsville for ANC and EFF in eThekwini

The marriage between the ANC and EFF in the eThekwini council has reached a bitter end as the former launches a fightback against the parties that tried to remove mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.

The fallout between the two parties was evident when the EFF surprisingly backed the IFP's motion of no confidence against Kaunda at the end of January.

EFF caucus leader Themba Mvubu said there was no need for the voting to be through a secret ballot, and announced they would support it because the ANC had been disrespectful by not consulting them before such an important decision.

“We told the ANC last year they cannot pass any motion without involving us because no one commands the majority. The EFF only accounts at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela House [the party's headquarters],” he said at the time.

That decision elicited a response from the ANC, despite Kaunda surviving the motion with support from the smaller parties.

ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele confirmed to TimesLIVE the working relationship between the two parties had ended.

“We’re not working with them in eThekwini. They made it clear during the vote of no confidence against Kaunda,” he said.

The split was confirmed in this week’s executive committee meeting, where Mvubu was removed as chairperson of the human settlements and infrastructure committee portfolio.

Mndebele said this was mainly because of Mvubu’s failure to provide oversight to the portfolio responsible for most of the city’s budget and due to his individualistic attitude.

“He was leading a critical portfolio [but] he was nowhere to be found in providing solutions, and you will get the EFF dragging the same municipality or taking credit when there are achievements without doing anything to realise that.”

He did concede, however, that the break-up in relations between the two parties also had a role in the decision.

“Beyond that, they were basically no longer collaborating or working with the ANC in charge of the government. They were doing as they pleased in a municipality where the ANC has the mayor while claiming to be in a coalition with us.”

The EFF has always maintained it was not in a coalition with the ANC but merely voting with the ANC on issues they were in agreement with.

Mndebele insisted it was a coalition.

“The reality is that we were in a coalition with them. They can disagree if they want to. That’s what we had, but then we decided they must be released.”

Mazwi Blose, EFF spokesperson in eThekwini, insisted the EFF was never in any working relationship with the ANC and Mvubu’s removal will change nothing in terms of their voting patterns

“This is revenge for not siding with them in the vote against the mayor, but it changes nothing for us because we’ve always been voting according to what makes sense to us, not what the ANC wanted,” he said.

“We voted with them against dissolving council because it made sense to us, we voted with the IFP to remove the mayor because it made sense and we also voted with ActionSA when they called for insourcing because it’s what the EFF is about. If anyone, ANC or DA, wants to build a bridge or provide water to Ngonyameni, for example, we will vote with them.”

The ANC’s fightback was also confirmed at Wednesday’s council meeting by Nkosenhle Madlala, who chairs the city’s governance and human capital committee.

Madlala warned opposition parties the ANC will start using no-confidence motions against them in council, starting from the next council meeting.

“I want to assure you there will be a motion against one of you, filed by the ANC, in the next council meeting. This will teach you to stop playing with taxpayers' money with these games. We will show you. We will remove you with this thing you started.”

TimesLIVE