Coalition talks have stalled in the major metros in Gauteng and Nelson Mandela Bay with the deadline for councils to elect mayors and speakers fast approaching and no clarity over who will be elected and what parties will be going into coalitions or trying to form a minority government.
According to the municipal structures act, councils have 14 days from the proclamation of the election by the Electoral Commission to elect a government. That deadline would be Thursday, but it seems the wording is being interpreted to mean ‘14 working days’ writes political commentator Stephen Grootes, which would make the deadline Tuesday, November 23.
On Tuesday, EFF leader Julius Malema shut the door on any possible coalition talks with the ANC claiming that the latter was bringing nothing to the table, “they just insisted on talking positions–not issues.”
Malema said the red berets were willing to work with the IFP, MAP16 and another party.
The other large player, the DA, announced after the elections that it would not work with the ANC under any circumstances.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) said on Tuesday that it had struck a deal with the ANC for power-sharing in the Joburg and Ekurhuleni councils. DA leader John Steenhuisen said it was nothing more than a continuation of the ANC patronage network.
The PA were still in discussion with the DA on Monday but subsequently pulled out of any coalition talks after the DA wanted to form a coalition around principles while DA federal chairperson Helen Zille said the PA were only after positions.
The DA was seeking a broad coalition including the ACDP, IFP, ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus and the PA to unseat the ANC in municipalities across the country.
But what if the councils cannot be constituted in time for the deadline? A party may try to form a minority government or issue-by-issue voting could take place. Ultimately if a council cannot be formed then it could be dissolved, and the election would need to be rerun.
Meanwhile, in the Western Cape, the Kannaland municipal council re-elected convicted child rapist Jeffrey Donson and convicted fraudster Werner Meshoa as mayor and deputy mayor. The pair are part of the ICOSA party and were elected with the support of the ANC.
Here’s a roundup of the world’s top and most interesting headlines:
SA Business
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Global Business
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Markets
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Opinion/In-depth
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Video
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Vodafone raises outlook after strong first-half – Reuters Video
