NICHOLAS WOODE-SMITH: Smaller parties in Joburg choose one bully over the other

The betrayal of Johannesburg’s DA coalition by its minority parties is a threat not only to the DA’s position, but also the future of the coalition and the city.

On September 1, Johannesburg speaker Vasco da Gama of the DA was ousted through a motion of no confidence sponsored by the PAC and supported by the ANC, EFF and a host of smaller parties — COPE, ATM, Al Jama-ah, UDM, Good, UIM, AHC and AIC. This is believed to be a precursor to an attempt to remove DA mayor Mpho Phalatse from office.

The smaller parties involved in the vote of no confidence have accused the DA of attempting to centralise power, of using the smaller parties as voting cows, and — succinctly — of bullying the one-seat parties. Perhaps the DA is a bully. It is a large party leading a coalition of smaller parties with varying beliefs, agendas and desires. Directing such a coalition requires an authority that could be deemed as bullying.

An inflated sense of worth

Smaller parties as coalition members often have an inflated sense of worth. Due to their nature as kingmakers in determining who runs a municipality, they more often than not see themselves as royalty. And, yes, the views and desires of all parties in a coalition matter. But it must be made clear that these parties only represent the mandates of a small percentage of voters. Otherwise, they’d not be a minority party. The DA, on the other hand, is the king of the coalition because it received a more impressive mandate from many more voters.

Why the smaller parties are important is that they are combining their voters’ interests with that of the DA’s voters. This is something many of their voters will have understood when voting for them, because voting for any opposition party is in effect a vote against the ANC. With that in mind, are the smaller parties truly serving their constituents by working against the DA-run coalition that has struggled so much to gain a semblance of stability in Johannesburg? 

No small party can realistically pretend this move will empower them. COPE isn’t going to be able to appoint the new mayor, and the ATM will not be picking the next speaker. If the DA is ousted, the new king will be the old one, the ANC, which does not have a good track record of governance. Corruption, mismanagement, terrible ideology and downright criminality define ANC run institutions.

Johannesburg under the DA coalition is far from perfect, but it takes a long time to fix the damage the ANC caused, especially when it remains a constant  thorn in the side of the DA, with the help of smaller parties. And even if the DA is not doing an ideal job, the solution is definitely not to put Johannesburg into ANC hands again.

The ANC doesn’t share, it dominates

If the DA is a bully, this changing loyalty by minority coalition members is just an attempt to swap one bully for another. It is not certain that the ANC is directly involved with the flip-flopping of the smaller parties, but the DA has made accusations of bribery and opened a criminal case on September 5. Perhaps corruption is one reason smaller parties would choose one bully over the other.

Two of three ACDP councillors have subsequently been found guilty by the party of receiving bribes to vote in favour of the motion of no confidence against De Gama. The allegations of bribery have been confirmed to be true, at least in the case of these two councillors.

But regardless of bribery or sincere policy, it is not in the small parties’ interests to oust the DA. Everything they accuse the DA of, the ANC is a worse offender. What coalitions are the ANC willing not to rule with an iron fist? It is the governing party, the hegemon. It doesn’t share, it dominates. That isn’t the making of a diplomatic and fair coalition leader.

The only good reason to work with an ANC-led coalition is if a party’s leaders desire a friendlier environment for corruption. And it should be a clear signal to all voters involved in this motion of no confidence and the move to oust the DA mayor that these parties do not represent their interests. They serve the interests of the ANC and their own corrupt agendas.

The DA is not perfect, far from it. But its willingness to negotiate and actually form coalitions shows a better regard for democracy and stability than the ANC, EFF and other smaller parties. It is clear that this move does not represent the interests of the voters. If there is anything good to come out of this debacle, it is that the DA and ActionSA have put their conflicts aside, at least for now, and are working together in an attempt to stabilise the coalition.

For Johannesburg and SA’s sake, the DA-run coalition must remain stable, and be made up of parties with firm convictions. They are opposition parties and opposing ANC dominance should be the bare minimum of what voters can expect from them. They cannot be allowed to flip on a dime (or for a dime). Most importantly of all, if these small parties are allowed by their voters to switch from a small bully to a big one for a simple bribe or over a misplaced sense of being maligned, they are doing this country and their city a huge disservice.

Woode-Smith is a political analyst, economic historian and author from Cape Town.