Cracks in the government of local unity in the City of Johannesburg continue to deepen with a group of minority parties demanding the expulsion of community development MMC Tebogo Nkokou who is a member of the PAC.
The Minority Governing Parties (MGP) coalition, which includes Al Jama-ah, the African Heart Congress (AHC), United Democratic Movement (UDM), and African Transformation Movement (ATM), wrote to the ANC, as the leader of the governing coalition, demanding the removal of Nkokou who is a member of the PAC.
The MGP accused Nkokou of failing to attend accountability meetings and neglecting his key performance targets, saying he must go. Nkokou, who replaced former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda 10 months ago, has allegedly missed four MGP meetings since September and failed to account for departmental progress.
MGP secretary Yongama Zigebe of the UDM told Sowetan that Nkokou had “consistently evaded accountability”.
“He is refusing to report back to the MGP, whom he represents. The city has 58 swimming pools, but only 36 will open this summer. The Drieziek pool and library in Orange Farm remain non-operational. When asked to explain, he does not attend meetings,” Zigebe said.
The Drieziek pool and library in Orange Farm remain non-operational. When asked to explain, he does not attend meetings
— Yongama Zigebe. MGP secretary
He said that Nkokou also skipped oversight committee meetings and once delegated a board chairperson from one of his entities to appear in his place.
“It’s wrong for an MMC to send an entity chairperson to account on his behalf. This shows he doesn’t understand his role,” Zigebe said.
This latest tension comes after the Patriotic Alliance threatened to walk out of the coalition if its deputy president Kenny Kunene was not reinstated as the city's MMC for transport. Kunene was sworn in a few days ago after the ANC gave in to the party's threats.
This also happens on the backdrop of Rise Mzansi, Bosa and the Good Party having announced their unification under a single banner, Unite for Change, which will contest the 2026 local government elections.
The MGP’s letter, dated October 3, followed a virtual meeting on October 2 that resolved to remove Nkokou. The group accused him of undermining collective accountability within the coalition.
The call for Nkokou’s removal comes amid confusion about the MGP’s own legitimacy. On October 1, six parties – the AIC, PAC, APC, UIM, GOOD, and COPE announced their withdrawal from the bloc, citing that “it is no longer feasible to continue working within the existing bloc framework alongside Al Jama-ah, the AHC, UDM, and the ATM.”
“Our withdrawal has clear and unavoidable implications: the bloc has collapsed in both substance and form, and it no longer has any legal or political standing unless reconstituted under a new arrangement,” their joint letter said.
Despite this, a subsequent MGP letter to the ANC dated October 3 still carried the logos of the same parties that claimed to have left the bloc.
ANC greater Johannesburg regional secretary Sasabona Manganye confirmed receiving both letters but said the party would first meet the group before commenting.
In his response, Nkokou dismissed the claims and the bloc’s authority.
“Any purported ‘recall’ or ‘resolution’ by a group outside the law has no legal standing. The PAC is a recognised partner in the government of national unity, not a minor organisation,” he said.
Nkokou said his department was addressing inherited backlogs, adding that more than 90% of the city’s swimming pools would be operational by December.
“KPIs are entered into between the MMC and the executive mayor, not with political parties. The so-called KPI agreement they refer to does not exist,” he said.
The PAC distanced itself from “the so-called Minority Parties Group and its latest opportunistic statements”, saying it is not part of the MPG, nor does it recognise or participate in any informal grouping operating outside legitimate council and government of national unity structures.
“The performance of Cllr Tebogo Nkokou has been exemplary and impactful,” it said.
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