Kaya 959 Reporter
It has been perhaps one of the most surprising week in the politics of South Africa as two of the most hotly contested and hung councils (Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni) in this month’s municipal elections were handed to Democratic Alliance (DA) by both Action SA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
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Dr. Ralph Mathekga recently joined Phemelo Motene to give an analysis of the DA’s victory and how the EFF’s decision to join forces with smaller parties to oust the ANC was a genius move.
“Its not a coalition, it’s some kind of voting agreement. The EFF has made its very clear that they are not interested in the whole idea of a coalition, or co-governance.
“But they are voting strategically toward what they want to achieve in those councils as they sit.”
Mathekga spoke about how there is no collective accountability at this stage, with all the municipalities, it is the DA that will be responsible if things are not working in a municipality.
“What you see happening in those councils, is that the DA, in my view, is left with a hand grenade with a pin off. You’ve been give a municipality, you have no political mandate and a you cannot blame the voters.”
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In a recent column he wrote, he spoke about why the DA finds itself in such challenging position.
“The DA had no choice but to accept the EFF’s “help” in gaining control of the municipality. This places the EFF in the driving seat with regards to whether the coalition survives and what it will achieve.”
“The DA’s coalition government in Ekurhuleni has been fragile from day one because it is not based on a willingness to co-operate among parties that voted together. Rather, it is a coalition that arose out of complex political consideration aimed largely at power games instead of agreeing on a programme of action.”
“By installing the DA in Ekurhuleni and assisting the party in securing the position of speaker and mayor in Johannesburg, the EFF is managing the influence brought by ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba.”
