Campbell ousted as mayor again

DA councillor Tania Campbell was removed as executive mayor of Ekurhuleni through a motion of no confidence on Thursday. It was Campbell’s second ousting as the metro’s first citizen in less than six months.

DA councillor Tania Campbell has been removed as executive mayor of Ekurhuleni through a motion of no confidence on Thursday.

She was removed from office with 126 votes, and 91 councillors opposed her ousting. A total of 217 councillors cast their votes during the council meeting in Germiston.

This was Campbell’s second ousting as the metro’s first citizen in less than six months — highlighting the instability of coalition governments that political pundits criticise for being more about staying in power than addressing service delivery needs.

Campbell’s removal puts the spotlight on concerted efforts by the ANC, EFF and smaller parties in their battle for control of the local councils ahead of the national elections in 2024.

The motion was sponsored by ATM councillor John Senona and seconded by his AIC counterpart Sivuyile Ngodwana. Councillors from the Patriotic Alliance, ANC, UDM, PAC and EFF, among others, took turns accusing Campbell of a slew of service delivery challenges in the metro, saying she presided over a failed, cash-strapped administration struggling to pay service providers and creditors.

The Freedom Front Plus did not support the motion, which it characterised as “cheap politicking”, saying it was motivated by those who wanted to get their hands on the city’s finances. The city has a budget of R51.2bn for the 2022/23 financial year.

The DA-led coalition in Ekurhuleni suffered a setback with the removal of council speaker Raymond Dhlamini in February, which was followed by the subsequent resignation of DA councillor Khetha Shandu as chief whip. Dhlamini was replaced by EFF councillor Nthabiseng Tshivhenga and Shandu by ANC deputy regional chair Jongizizwe Dlabathi.

Campbell was viewed as the last woman standing against efforts for a complete takeover of the metro by the ANC and its allies in the council.

She was initially removed through a motion of no confidence in October after the ANC and smaller parties banded together to vote for her removal from the influential position. The EFF abstained from the vote. However, a few weeks later, in November, Campbell was reelected as executive mayor after the ANC and EFF could not agree on a mayoral candidate.

It is not yet clear who the ANC-EFF coalition will put forward as their mayoral candidate from Thursday’s council meeting in Germiston. The Ekurhuleni council has 224 seats, and a clear majority of 50% plus 1 (113) is needed to pass crucial council items such as the budget and votes of no confidence.

Of the 224, the ANC has 86 seats, DA 65, EFF 31, ActionSA 15, Freedom Front Plus 8, IFP 2 and ACDP 2, with smaller parties accounting for 10 seats.

The instability of coalitions in Gauteng echoes concern by the SA Local Government Association — an employer body representing the country ’ s 257 municipalities — that service delivery in SA’s economic heartland is deteriorating as political parties battle for control of local councils and municipalities.

The quest for control of the local councils saw DA councillor Mpho Phalatse removed as executive mayor of the Johannesburg metro in January and replaced by Al Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad. Al Jama-ah has three seats in the 270-seat Johannesburg council.

In Tshwane, DA councillor Cilliers Brink was elected as executive mayor on Tuesday, after almost three weeks of the municipality being without a political head. That was after former COPE councillor Murunwa Makwarela resigned on March 10 after it was discovered that he had submitted a fraudulent court rehabilitation order.