ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has made a dramatic U-turn on Monday, saying his party would work with the ANC in Johannesburg.

Mashaba previously called the ANC a criminal enterprise. “I will never work with the devil,” he had said.

In a startling turnaround, Mashaba said he will work with the ANC in Joburg on the condition that they remove Kabelo Gwamanda as mayor.

Mashaba’s move is viewed as an act of desperation after being locked out of the Government of National Unity (GNU) political developments.

However, Gwamanda’s office slammed the calls for his removal via an impending motion of no confidence as “opportunistic, and with political moves”.

“With the R200 surcharge for prepaid users receiving a backlash from residents and parties,” according to the mayor, his plotters continue to “undermine the complexity of the challenges confronting Johannesburg and seek to create an alternative based on misguided individualism.”

He further maintained that since he resumed his office, local government has enjoyed political stability, unlike in 2016.

He added his conspirators want to enforce a DA-led racist government of local unity in the metro. “The calls are an attempt to resuscitate the multiparty government led by the DA through a race-based offensive against the personality of the mayor,” said Gwamanda.

On Monday, Mashaba held a media briefing calling for the removal of the mayor over the R200 surcharge imposed on prepaid electricity users, among other issues.

Two weeks ago, scores of residents protested on social media over the new charge, with many bemoaning the high cost of living.

Mashaba said Gwamanda must be removed for numerous failures of his administration to act in the best interests of Joburg citizens.

“At the heart of the declining condition of these municipalities is the instability that has persisted in these coalitions because coalition partners, especially in Johannesburg, seek to condition their support for matters of governance based on extraneous issues to Johannesburg or its residents.

“The tenure of mayor Kabelo Gwamanda, like that of his predecessor, has been an unmitigated failure with the evidence of the downward spiral of Johannesburg all around the city.

“ActionSA has contemplated the fact that it holds a significant number of seats in Johannesburg, and we have come to the conclusion that the party cannot sit on its hands any more as the city continues its downward spiral to the detriment of Joburg residents.”

Mashaba said that his party, which also announced its new MPs and Members of Provincial Legislatures in three provinces, has placed three key conditions on its conditional support of a new government in Johannesburg.

“First is the removal of mayor Kabelo Gwamanda. Second is the immediate reversal of the R200 surcharge heartlessly imposed by City Power on prepaid users.

“Third, ActionSA will produce a series of motions, the purpose of which would be to position the city to turnaround in key front line service delivery matters, including infrastructure renewal and the rejuvenation of the inner city,” he said.

Mashaba said his party will not be seeking to co-govern with other parties, but will play the role of the opposition.

“Having explained what this arrangement is, it is necessary to explain what it is not. It is not a coalition arrangement. 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.”

Caucus leader of the DA in the city’s Council Chambers, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, told The Star that as an opposition party, they were yet to decide their stance on the mayor’s removal.

However, she emphasised the fact that parties plotting to denounce Gwamanda is a strong indication that his office does not care about the challenges that residents continue to face, especially with strong calls to review the surcharge, which ultimately affects the indigent.

“The current administration has shown they are completely out of touch with the situation residents face on the ground. That is why the DA wrote a letter to MMC for finance, Dada Morero, to scrap the R200 surcharge. Our petition against the surcharge is now over

21 000 signatures. We have previously tabled a motion to dissolve council because this administration has proven it does not care about residents and refuses to listen to residents,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.

Last week, The Star reported that among those calling for Gwamanda’s removal are the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Action for Accountability, Defend Our Democracy and the Johannesburg Inner-City Partnership under the guise of the Joburg Crises Alliance (JCA).

The JCA said the mayor and his executive have failed to render basic services.

“The JCA believes that the mayor and his mayoral committee must be held accountable for these and other critical lapses in service delivery to the public.

“We do not believe that Gwamanda and his team have the requisite skills and capabilities to resolve the deepening governance crises in Johannesburg,” it said.

Civil organisations will hold a picket on Saturday at the Metro Centre.

Asked whether the action will fuel his removal from office, Gwamanda said: “We are always ready and willing to engage with genuine concerns of residents, and have demonstrated that over the last while.”

Although the picket will demonstrate the dire need to address service delivery issues in the city, Kayser-Echeozonjoku said that a jumble of mayors will not show a state of stability in the city.

“Residents are angry and it is completely understood. We agree that this administration failed the residents of Johannesburg. The DA has engaged with civil society organisations and will continue to do so. Johannesburg residents need stability. A merry-go-round of mayors and opportunistic juggling for positions is not going to bring stability. Our newly appointed shadow cabinet will hold the executive accountable,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.

The Star

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