ActionSA has decided to support the ANC in a bid to remove Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda and replace him with ANC councillor Dada Morero.
The ANC engaged with opposition parties in the city and made a deal to collaborate with ActionSA and the IFP to form a government of local unity (GLU) that will work together to have Al Jama-ah's Gwamanda ousted.
In a media briefing on Monday, ActionSA Johannesburg caucus leader Nobuhle Mthembu said Gwamanda's tenure as mayor has been a “failure”.
“Gwamanda failed dismally in his role and we can spend days highlighting his failures. His failures can be seen on every street corner of this great city of Johannesburg. When the residents of Johannesburg were yearning for proper leadership, Gwamanda was nowhere to be found,” Mthembu said.
“The ongoing water crisis we face, and the mayor is nowhere to be found. The mayor is not interested in basic service delivery. The bylaws are not being implemented in the city. The city is filthy. The mayor has been tone-deaf about the R200 electricity service fee.
“As ActionSA, we've been very vocal about this. We don't need a caretaker, we need someone who's going to be in the front and represent residents and give us confidence that he will lead. We are adamant that this mayor has brought nothing but pain to the city of Johannesburg, and he must go.”
WATCH | ActionSA backs ANC to oust Joburg mayor Gwamanda, wants removal of R200 electricity surcharge
ActionSA has decided to support the ANC in a bid to remove Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda and replace him with ANC councillor Dada Morero.
The ANC engaged with opposition parties in the city and made a deal to collaborate with ActionSA and the IFP to form a government of local unity (GLU) that will work together to have Al Jama-ah's Gwamanda ousted.
In a media briefing on Monday, ActionSA Johannesburg caucus leader Nobuhle Mthembu said Gwamanda's tenure as mayor has been a “failure”.
“Gwamanda failed dismally in his role and we can spend days highlighting his failures. His failures can be seen on every street corner of this great city of Johannesburg. When the residents of Johannesburg were yearning for proper leadership, Gwamanda was nowhere to be found,” Mthembu said.
“The ongoing water crisis we face, and the mayor is nowhere to be found. The mayor is not interested in basic service delivery. The bylaws are not being implemented in the city. The city is filthy. The mayor has been tone-deaf about the R200 electricity service fee.
“As ActionSA, we've been very vocal about this. We don't need a caretaker, we need someone who's going to be in the front and represent residents and give us confidence that he will lead. We are adamant that this mayor has brought nothing but pain to the city of Johannesburg, and he must go.”
Though the party will work with the ANC in Johannesburg, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said the party is not part of the government of provincial unity.
He said his party would support the government in Johannesburg on an issue-by-issue basis.
“ActionSA will not enter the executive to co-govern. No coalition agreement will be signed and ActionSA’s support, even for a new mayor, will be provided only on the consideration of the merits of the matter.
“It is necessary to affirm that ActionSA’s position regarding the grand coalition remains unchanged as a constructive opposition. If anything, this position in Johannesburg represents an extension of the national stance in local government, with the ability to exercise effective oversight.
“To facilitate this constructive opposition role, ActionSA will take up a number of positions in the legislature so that we have the platform to hold any new government to account,” Mashaba said.
Other conditions the party has set to support the ANC in Johannesburg include the immediate removal of the R200 surcharge for prepaid electricity users.
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