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New Joburg mayor forming coalitions with smaller parties, but will chat to DA and EFF

Newly elected Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo is congratulated by members of the ANC on Wednesday.
Newly elected Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo is congratulated by members of the ANC on Wednesday.
Image: Veli Nhlapo

Not a day after being elected as Johannesburg mayor, the ANC's Geoff Makhubo confirmed he was forming coalitions with smaller parties in the council.

Speaking at a press briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, Makhubo said the ANC would also meet leaders of the DA and EFF to discuss “how we can work together”.

Makhubo thanked the African Independent Congress (AIC), Cope, the IFP and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) for their support in having him elected. He said they would now discuss the allocation of management positions in the city.

“We are going into formal coalitions with the parties. We are negotiating at the moment about who will lead what. We will be an all-encompassing government, not a government of the DA,” he said.

“We are talking to the leader of the DA today [Thursday] to see how we can work together. We are talking to the EFF to see how we can work together. We will work with all parties in government.”

Makhubo also made a variety of promises to residents and blamed the previous administration for the city's current problems.

“The challenges we face as the city are many and are varied. The city’s finances are not in a good shape. City Power is sitting at R3.1bn in deficit ... and there is a call by service providers that they have not been paid on time. We are worried that this may result in the financial collapse of this great city called Johannesburg.

“The city, in the words of the auditor-general, is one of the worst culprits in the spectrum of financial mismanagement.”

He said the ANC government would focus on service delivery.

“The inner city is not in good shape. There are uncontrolled land invasions, the city has extended a blind eye to townships, our roads are full of dongas, people in the hostels have been neglected, traffic lights aren’t working,” he said.

“Bylaw enforcement has evidently collapsed and crime has reached unprecedented levels in the city ... We will focus on service delivery, electrify informal settlements, ensure garbage is collected three times a day, upgrade hostels and maintain road infrastructure.” 

Makhubo also promised to root out corruption.

“As a government led by the ANC, we remain committed to uprooting corruption and malfeasance. We will deal decisively with malfeasance and corruption,” he said.

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