Johannesburg - ActionSA has welcomed the reinstatement of City of Johannesburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse, who was last month ousted through a motion of no confidence vote sponsored by the ANC and other opposition parties.
On Tuesday, the Gauteng High Court ruled in favour of Phalatse and declared the recent motion of no-confidence vote as "unconstitutional and invalid".
Judge Raylene Keightley agreed that the case was urgent and reinstated Phalatse following the DA’s interpretation of the judgment.
This subsequently rendered the ANC's Dada Morero’s election as Johannesburg mayor unlawful, unconstitutional, and invalid.
As a result, all decisions taken by the ANC under Morero have been declared unlawful, unconstitutional, and invalid and have been reviewed and set aside.
The party led by former DA mayor Herman Mashaba said the recent court judgement reinstating the multi-party coalition government in Johannesburg is welcomed as it is an important correction of an unlawful process followed by the ANC to remove the coalition government.
However, ActionSA spokesperson in Johannesburg, Samkelo Mgobhozi, said this does not take away the status of coalitions in the city, which he described as being unstable and prone to collapse due to petty party politics.
"While ActionSA welcomes this court outcome, it does not change the dynamics of instability that led to the collapse. This leaves the ball squarely in the DA’s court to demonstrate their commitment to multi-party coalitions providing an alternative to failed ANC governance,’’ Mgobhozi said.
Ahead of Phalatse's removal, parties within the Joburg city council accused the DA of being arrogant and misusing its power within the city. Parties within the multi-party government in the city also said the DA was unwilling to compromise or share power with other smaller parties, which led to dissatisfaction and instability.
Mgobhozi warned the DA to tread carefully this time around, saying this is the chance to ensure that multiparty governance is strengthened.
"The return of our multi-party coalition government could be a technical event that lasts a day or a week, or it could see the return of the multi-party coalition for the next four years, keeping the ANC in the opposition benches.
"In this regard, the DA must decide whether it is willing to re-engage its former coalition partners and secure enough support to sustain a government or whether it has given up on the coalition and surrendered the residents of Johannesburg to four more years of ANC governance,’’ he said.
Mgobhozi said his party would publicly commit itself to any discussions that lead to the multi-party coalition government's being able to sustain itself over the next four years in order for improved service delivery and institutional changes to take effect in Johannesburg.
"The services needed by the residents of Johannesburg cannot be delivered from the opposition benches, nor can the fight against corruption be won unless the coalition is in government. ActionSA is committed to the work of fixing Johannesburg, and for this, the coalition must govern for the rest of the term of office,’’ he said.
Mgobhozi also called on other political parties represented in the council to commit themselves to providing an alternative to the ANC.
The Star