Mantashe points ANC to a familiar model for hung councils
JOHANNESBURG — ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe wants the party to use lessons from the Government of National Unity to build functioning municipal coalitions wherever election results leave it unable to govern alone. His call places the national partnership’s experience at the centre of preparations for potentially difficult local negotiations.
Speaking to journalists after voting at Freeway Primary School in Boksburg on Wednesday, Mantashe said the ANC should pursue municipal victories while preparing to make shared government work where necessary. He also urged the party to accept the election outcome, warning that its response would affect its own credibility.
Mantashe acknowledged that cooperation in the GNU had been uneven, but argued that managing its disagreements had given the ANC experience it could apply in councils. “We’ve learned a lot of important lessons in the process. We’ll use that in the local government,” he said, according to Eyewitness News.
The challenge extends beyond securing enough support to elect a mayor. Unstable municipal coalitions have been marked by political infighting, repeated leadership changes and disrupted service delivery. For residents, the practical test of any agreement will be whether it sustains an administration capable of keeping basic services running.
Before the vote, Joburg Crisis Alliance coordinator Yunus Chamda told Reuters that a weakness of the existing coalition system was that parties were left to negotiate arrangements among themselves. That concern puts the terms and durability of agreements alongside the allocation of leadership positions as issues in the coming negotiations.
Mantashe also warned ANC members against undermining the Electoral Commission of South Africa, saying attacks on its credibility could have lasting consequences. His remarks offered a broad approach to coalition building, but did not identify prospective municipal partners or the specific arrangements the ANC would seek.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za or drop a tip.