Lesufi scrambles for allies

The provincial leadership of the ANC in Gauteng is battling to keep the EFF onside in their ruling coalition after Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza alienated the red berets by cutting three key posts they had held — including that of council speaker.

Several sources said the ANC leadership was holding talks with the EFF on how to salvage the relationship, which was dealt a body blow by Xhakaza’s unilateral action.

Insiders say Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi might offer the red berets positions in his provincial executive in an attempt to smooth things over.

This would fly in the face of what senior ANC sources have said is an imminent instruction from Luthuli House to provincial leaders to reopen the aborted power-sharing negotiations with the DA that were sparked by the 2024 election results.

The Gauteng ANC has ruled out working with the DA, according to the sources.

“We are still talking to the EFF. They have not completely withdrawn yet,” said a senior ANC Gauteng source. “The EFF is alive to the politics at play, and our discussions may well end up with us making some concessions, because they have been supporting us in the legislature without having a seat at the table. But we will see.”

The sources said Xhakaza jumped the gun with the changes he made in his executive, as Luthuli House is still studying what the implications would be. These deliberations are also assessing whether Lesufi should offer MEC posts to the EFF or the MK Party.

“There is a risk analysis that is still pending from national [Luthuli House] which was meant to advise what is likely to happen should Xhakaza remove the EFF, which would have detailed how exposed we would be and how to navigate that space,” said an insider.

The earliest indication of whether we are still together with the EFF will be on Thursday, when there is a motion of no confidence against Dada Morero

—  ANC source

“It was meant to help us so we can determine what alternative mechanism we have. Because it’s either we bring the EFF or we bring the MK, then you have a government. Or to maintain the status quo, which means we still have the backing of these two formations. MK, we have no reason to doubt that they will still support us. The same can be said about the EFF,” said the source.

The first test of the ANC-EFF relationship is expected to come later this week when Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero faces a motion of no confidence.

“The earliest indication of whether we are still together with the EFF will be on Thursday, when there is a motion of no confidence against Dada Morero. That will indicate whether they are still part of the bloc or not,” said a senior party leader.

This source said the ANC in the province wanted the friction with the EFF to be confined to Ekurhuleni.

“We have a very good relationship with the EFF, but obviously they are unhappy with what’s happening in Ekurhuleni. Thus far we don’t have any tangible indication that outside Ekurhuleni the relationship is sour. Our approach is to confine the problems with the EFF to just the region of Ekurhuleni, and not to affect us.”

The source and three others said they were confident the ANC would be able to pass the provincial budget even if the EFF rapprochement collapsed. As long as the EFF abstained in the budget vote, rather than voting against it, the budget would pass with the support of the MK Party, PA, Rise Mzansi, the IFP and some smaller parties. The provinces will present their budgets in the days after finance minister Enoch Godongwana tables the national budget on Wednesday.

“We will still be able to pass the budget without the EFF,” said one ANC source. “We’ve got big numbers in Gauteng. It’s not an issue of saying we can’t pass the budget without them. It’s a principled matter that we are fighting what Xhakaza has done. We will still be able to pass the budget with our other partners, including the MK Party. As a matter of fact, we may pass our budget faster than national.”

The ANC holds 28 seats in the 80-member provincial legislature, the DA 22, the EFF 11 and the MK Party eight. Smaller parties hold the rest, with the ANC being assured of at least four of those votes.

ANC Gauteng sources have accused Xhakaza of defying the party by taking actions in Ekurhuleni that are at odds with ANC-EFF agreements.

The sources say the EFF told the ANC late last year it was moving the then Ekurhuleni speaker, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, to the provincial legislature and would replace her with provincial chair Nkululeko Dunga. But Xhakaza and the regional leadership rode roughshod over the EFF and replaced Tshivhenga with an ANC member.

Angered by this, the EFF vowed to punish the ANC in all the municipalities where they have a partnership and to withdraw support in the provincial legislature.

While the ANC was trying to douse this fire, Xhakaza added fuel to the flames by stripping the EFF of two MMC positions.

Xhakaza has said his relationship with the EFF had become “unworkable” and he should not be forced to work with it to save the relationship in other municipalities and at provincial level.

It is thought that some national ANC leaders approve of what Xhakaza did because they want to push Gauteng ANC to work with the DA — as the party is doing at national level.

But at least three Gauteng provincial task team members, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any such pressure would be fiercely resisted. “I can tell you it will not happen. They will face a serious rebellion from all regions and the province itself. We don’t want the DA,” said one source.

The DA Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga, said his party will not try to take advantage of the falling out between the ANC and the EFF.

“For us, it is not about the internal politicking, but it is about what it means in the long run for stability and service delivery. You must remember that there are now adjustment budgets coming up that are supposed to be passed; what does that mean now when people are not able to agree on the way forward? These are things that are concerning us, and what it will mean to residents.”