Mogale City: a town in limbo
Municipal government has been hampered in Mogale City since last year’s local elections because the DA-led coalition and the ANC opposition have not been able to come to agreement. To complicate matters, the municipality has now lost its mayor
When the election results started streaming in at the results centre in Pretoria after South Africans went to the ballot box on August 3 2016, ANC officials were smiling. But by August 6 the tectonic plates of SA politics had shifted and 27 hung councils were open targets. Fervent horse trading followed, with the ANC pulling on the shortest end of the negotiations as they tried in vain to get coalitions with the ANC at the helm. The EFF, in the powerful position of kingmaker, decided to throw its votes in with any party that would keep the ANC out. It succeeded in helping formal coalitions, including of the DA, Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), United Democratic Movement (UDM), African Christian Democratic Party and Congress of the People, to take the seat of governance in multiple municipalities. These unlikely allies took control of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay metros, as well as smaller municipalities across the country. More than nine months into their term, the coal...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.