Will the ANC submit to the EFF’s demand that Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Eugene Johnson be axed to stay in control of Nelson Mandela Bay?
While it is still unclear if the party will pander to the red berets’ ultimatum, calls for Johnson to vacate the office are starting to mount within ANC circles.
At a media conference on Tuesday, EFF leader Julius Malema said his party would support the ANC in the council but only on condition that Johnson was removed.
ANC Eastern Cape spokesperson Loyiso Magqashela said on Wednesday the provincial executive committee had yet to discuss the possibility of replacing Johnson.
“We saw it [ultimatum] on TV like everyone else,” he said.
“However, we are dealing with the crisis unfolding in Nelson Mandela Bay and will discuss all possible interventions.”
Magqashela said the province was still waiting to hear from the party’s national executive committee on its stance to replace Johnson.
“The EFF has been vocal about not supporting the ANC but it has since changed its mind.
“That is coalition politics.
“However, if we get a call from the national executive committee we will then start the process of selecting the best possible candidate.”
He said the party had also not discussed or assessed Johnson’s time in office.
Despite no stance being taken just yet, several names are already being bandied about to replace Johnson.
However, Magqashela downplayed this, saying many people in the party wanted Johnson to vacate the office.
At the top of the list to replace Johnson is Bay regional chair Babalwa Lobishe, who said she was unaware of her name being touted as a replacement.
“It is up to the ANC president [Cyril Ramaphosa] to decide the fate of the mayor as per policy conference resolutions.
“I don’t know anything about candidates but the NEC is discussing coalitions and it has stated that we must strengthen our leadership for better service delivery,” she said.
Johnson said she had also watched Malema on TV when he made the demand.
“Such matters are discussed by the party,” she said.
“I am just a deployee and take instruction from the party.”
EFF regional chair Khanya Ngqisha has been outspoken in his views that the party would never support the ANC in council.
The EFF believes the appointment of city manager Noxolo Nqwazi during a chaotic council meeting in March was the culmination of fraudulent activity, with the vote misrepresented.
Dozens of councillors walked out of that meeting but Johnson went ahead and signed a contract the next day with Nqwazi.
When the decision was challenged in court, the judge ordered that the council convene a meeting and resolve the impasse.
Ngqisha said the party would consult with its national leadership on Friday.
“We are taking the directive from the national leadership.
“It is all up to the ANC whether they accept the proposal.”
The DA, ACDP, AIC, AIM, FF+, PAC and UDM signed a coalition agreement in July but only have a combined 56 seats in the council.
The parties are hoping to unseat the ANC-led coalition, but to do so, need the support of the EFF, which has eight seats.
The EFF flexed its kingmaker status in the Bay earlier in August, warning that the newly signed DA-led coalition would have the party’s backing in the Nelson Mandela Bay council only if it supported the insourcing of security guards.
Last week, the EFF’s regional leadership warned that if the DA did not contact the party’s national bosses, they would not sign a petition that calls for a special council meeting to remove the ANC-led coalition from power.
On Tuesday, Malema said the DA had made it clear it did not want to work with the EFF.
DA Eastern Cape provincial chair Andrew Whitfield said the party had been consistent in its stance that it would not work with the EFF.
“We have learnt from bitter experience and will not work with the EFF,” he said.
“The fact that they have chosen to [offer] support to the ANC is instructive.
“It proves that the ANC and EFF are cut from the same cloth.
“It vindicates our position that we are committed to building a multiparty alternative to the kind of populist politics of the ANC and EFF.”
According to ANC insiders, Johnson could be asked to resign to avoid a motion of no confidence against her.
“The changes could be made soon to avoid this and to reduce the humiliation for the mayor,” he said.
Another insider said Lobishe was the perfect replacement.
“The crisis in the Bay is a direct result of Nqwazi’s employment by Johnson,” he said.
He said Lobishe was familiar with politics at both a regional and provincial level.
A third source said Lobishe had been the first choice as mayor after the November 1 elections but then ANC deputy secretary-general, the late Jessie Duarte, pushed for Johnson to gain support in the northern areas.
Political analyst Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast said he was surprised by the EFF’s U-turn to offer power to the ANC.
He said the reasons remained sketchy but it might be the result of factionalism formed within the EFF at a national level.
“The question now is, will the ANC give in to that demand?” he said.
“This is going to be interesting due to the national politics involved.”
Another analyst, Ongama Mtimka, said the narrow margin that led to the formation of the coalition government created an environment that smaller parties could exploit.
“The EFF has not participated in coalitions since 2016 but has rather bargained with parties under siege or aspirant political party coalitions to extract greater political currency,” he said.
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