The DA is waging a desperate fight to defend Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba from being ousted from his position.

On Thursday, Mashaba will face a third motion of no confidence, sponsored by the ANC.

This week, the party launched a petition, "Save Jozi Mayor Herman Mashaba", detailing Mashaba's achievements since taking over after the watershed 2016 local elections.

However, it was a DA email to staff members in the City of Joburg that riled the ANC and caused consternation among workers who support the ruling party and the EFF, among others.

In the email, staff members are told that the city can't afford to lose "its best mayor".

"Since coming into the office, Jozi mayor Herman Mashaba's team has uncovered billions in corrupt activities and seen the city reach its healthiest financial position. Now the ANC wants to remove him through another motion of no confidence so that they can get back to eating the people's money," the email reads.

ANC Joburg chairperson Geoff Makhubo said they saw the email.

"We condemn his [Mashaba's] actions of using the city letterhead to criticise the ANC," he said, adding that "they are trying to agitate workers against the ANC".

Makhubo said the party was engaging smaller political parties in preparation for the motion on Thursday, adding they expected the EFF to vote with the DA, even though the red berets have announced that they're cutting ties with the official opposition.

EFF sources in Johannesburg told Sunday World that they were still waiting for an instruction from party leader Julius Malema, which could come on Thursday morning.

Malema told voters ahead of May 8 elections that the EFF will run one of the metros in the country. This is yet to happen. There are 270 seats in the council and the ANC needs 136 votes to unseat the DA-EFF coalition.

Mashaba, who is also Joburg caucus leader, was unfazed by the motion, saying he was not elected by the ANC. He denied any knowledge of the email, saying it must have been authored by the ANC.

"There is not a single official of the city who is going to vote. The problem with ANC people is that they look at their strategies in shebeens and shisa nyamas. So they don't think properly. There is a lot of noise and music, and they take government decisions," he said.