The DA-led coalition in Ekurhuleni faces risk of collapse if the party maintains its stance against working with the EFF, ActionSA said on Monday. 

In a media briefing regarding the state of the coalition government in the municipality, ActionSA bemoaned a lack of commitment from coalition partners, saying this would negatively affect service delivery. 

Dominating the briefing were tensions between the DA and EFF, who apparently cannot reach an agreement, leaving the co-governance of the municipality without the majority it requires to make critical decisions including passing the budget.

ActionSA said on Monday if the issues in the municipality were not resolved, there was a risk of handing the metro back to the ANC. 

The DA-led multiparty government, which includes Freedom Front Plus and ACDP but excludes the EFF, falls short of the threshold needed to pass the municipal budget.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party was not trying to bring the red berets into a coalition agreement but rather to ensure a smooth-running government and effective service delivery for residents.

The DA has the majority of 65 seats followed by ActionSA with 15. 

The EFF could help the multiparty government meet majority voting requirements. 

Here are the main concerns expressed by ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba and Beaumont on Monday. 

DA's refusal to work with EFF will collapse Ekurhuleni 

Beaumont said from the onset of the coalitions talks, ActionSA had been concerned the DA-led multiparty government did not have enough numbers to ensure stable governance. 

He said initially parties expressed commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the coalition in the city, but this has not materialised. 

“The reality was that shortly after a council meeting committee chairs were elected by a majority that is not the coalition, because the coalition had not obtained the majority. That was the first indication to ActionSA this was going to become a problem,” he said. 

Coalition impossible without the EFF

Beaumont said the governance challenges in the municipality were a “mathematical problem” and it was not possible to have a stable government without the support of the EFF.

He said from the onset there were concerns over how the coalition would approve budgets and survive motions of no confidence. 

DA must decide

Mashaba said he felt betrayed by the DA’s refusal to work with the EFF, considering the party's initial agreement and commitment to ensuring stable governance.

He claimed the DA approached him to bridge a working relationship with the EFF. 

“Why did you approach the EFF in the first place? Why did you ask Herman Mashaba to intervene and still be prepared to collapse this government? That is a major concern.” 

EFF was prepared to keep ANC out

Mashaba said the EFF was prepared to keep the ANC out of power in Ekurhuleni and support the DA-led multiparty government in exchange for committee chair seats, a deal he said was refused by the DA.  

“They would have loved to be in our government but because of the toxic relationship with the DA, they are happy to play the oversight role. This was a no-brainer for any party that wanted to see a stable government, but unfortunately, the DA refused,” said Mashaba.