With barely a year since the November local government elections and coalitions across the country being in tatters, the Eastern Cape department of co-operative government and traditional affairs (Cogta) may have an innovative solution.
Cogta wants to introduce a collective executive with a ward participatory system that will take powers away from a mayor and allow a new committee to run proceedings.
The switch to a collective executive system would force the ANC and DA, the two majority parties in the council with 48 seats each, to work together.
In Gauteng, a battle by the ANC to jostle back power from the three DA-led metros has resulted in at least one victory, the removal of City of Johannesburg speaker Vasco da Gama last week.
The ANC also managed to unseat the DA-led coalition in the Knysna municipality hours before Da Gama's removal.
Meanwhile, in Nelson Mandela Bay, the fight for the City Hall and the attempt to remove the ANC-led coalition government and unseat mayor Eugene Johnson resulted in allegations that a councillor from the Defenders of the People (DOP) was threatened due to her absence from the meeting seeking to remove Johnson
Meanwhile, residents and political parties in the Eastern Cape have until Monday to give comment on Cogta's plans to scrap the mayoral executive system in Nelson Mandela Bay.
In a letter to Johnson, former Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha said the metro had been plagued by months of instability which had spilt over into the administration.
“The current coalition government has aggravated by creating a state of lawlessness and causing severe damage leading to the collapse of administration in the municipality,” Nqatha wrote.
A final decision will be made by Cogta once all the comments have been reviewed.
Political analyst Mcebisi Ndletyana welcomed the move, saying that it would create stability, adding that this way, parties would take ownership of decisions taken in council.
“The hope is that if all four parties are entrusted with responsibility, because they are government, they have to make sure things are done, have a sense of responsibility to make sure decisions are implemented [rather] than those political parties who sit in council.
“There would be that pressure to make sure things happen and if not, they’re the ones to blame,” Ndletyana said.
Ndletyana said the system was already in operation in KwaZulu-Natal and had created stability in municipalities prone to violence.
In Gauteng, he said the situation was not as dire at NMB but that it was headed in that direction.
“The situation in Gauteng is getting dire, Tshwane perhaps more than the other two and we’re seeing similar tensions in Joburg. Salga (South African local government association) feels quite strongly they must adopt the exco and it be implemented,” Ndletyana said.
In Joburg, coalition partner and chair of chairs Colleen Makhubele called a special council meeting for Tuesday to elect a new speaker of council. Mayor Mpho Phalatse has however said Makhubele had no authority to do so.
“We wish to again state that the office of the speaker is currently vacant, therefore in terms of the law, the day-to-day administrative functions and operations of the council fall under the care of the secretary of council, and only the city manager can call for a sitting of council. The Municipal Structures Act is very clear on this matter.
“Only council can elect a speaker, which has not happened, equally there is no designation of deputy speaker, nor can someone wake up one day and crown themselves the acting speaker,” Phalatse said.
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