ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party is close to a deal with the African National Congress in Gauteng’s three big metros, News24 reported on 15 November, as the Gauteng coalition race enters a second week.
No party won a majority in Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni at the local elections, and the arithmetic of any Gauteng coalition shows that an ANC-led bloc could govern all three only with ActionSA and two other parties.
How do the numbers shape the Gauteng coalition?
The ANC took about 30.8% of the national vote and the Democratic Alliance (DA) about 24.6%, according to IOL. In Johannesburg, which has 270 council seats, the DA won 91 and the ANC 63, IOL reported. Ekurhuleni has 224 seats, of which the DA holds 66, the ANC 59 and ActionSA 40. In Tshwane, ActionSA won 48 of 214 seats and the ANC 44.
A majority needs 136 seats in Johannesburg, 113 in Ekurhuleni and 108 in Tshwane. A seat table published by BusinessTech lists ActionSA with 43 seats in Johannesburg and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 17, and the MK Party with 15. On those figures, the ANC, ActionSA, EFF and MK together would hold 138 seats in Johannesburg, 128 in Ekurhuleni and 109 in Tshwane, one seat above the threshold there. That is our own addition of the published seat counts, not a figure from the parties.
What have ActionSA and the ANC said?
Mashaba said on 8 November that ActionSA had held a productive and mutually respectful first engagement with the ANC, according to Newsday. IOL reported on 10 November that the EFF, ActionSA and the ANC had begun talks, while the ANC’s national executive committee was due to decide its Gauteng strategy, Daily Maverick reported.
The ANC had earlier said it was ready to sit in opposition in the three metros after failing to win a majority, News24 reported on 7 November. We did not find an ANC statement on the 15 November remarks by Mashaba, and the parties have announced no Gauteng coalition agreement.
Where does the Democratic Alliance stand?
The DA leads in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, but in any Gauteng coalition it has no obvious partner to reach a majority. Mashaba offered to withdraw from the Johannesburg mayoral race if the DA’s candidate, Helen Zille, also stepped aside, IOL reported on 11 November. In Tshwane he proposed that DA candidate Cilliers Brink give up his council seat, according to Daily Maverick. Newsday reported that Mashaba laughed off the idea of a DA-ANC coalition in Johannesburg.
Earlier DNE Africa reports covered the DA and ActionSA coalition test and the start of ANC talks after the party’s worst local result.
What happens next in the Gauteng coalition talks?
Each council has to elect a mayor and speaker, and the Electoral Commission of South Africa publishes the formal results. A Gauteng coalition between the ANC and ActionSA would still need the EFF and MK, or the DA, to put a majority together in Tshwane and Johannesburg. The parties have given no timetable.
FAQ
What is the Gauteng coalition dispute about?
No party holds a majority in Johannesburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni, so the ANC, DA, ActionSA and others are negotiating who governs each metro.
Has the ANC agreed a Gauteng coalition with ActionSA?
No agreement has been announced. News24 reported on 15 November that Mashaba says a deal is close.
How many seats does a majority need?
It needs 136 of 270 in Johannesburg, 113 of 224 in Ekurhuleni and 108 of 214 in Tshwane.
What did Mashaba offer the Democratic Alliance?
He offered to drop his Johannesburg mayoral bid if Helen Zille also stepped aside, IOL reported on 11 November.
