ActionSA president Herman Mashaba announced on Monday that his party will adopt the role of “constructive opposition” in the City of Johannesburg, noting that instabilities have persisted in the coalitions in the City of Ekurhuleni and the City of Johannesburg. 

He highlighted that City of Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda’s tenure had been an “unmitigated failure with evidence of the downward spiral” in Johannesburg.

He explained that to facilitate the constructive opposition role, the party would take up a number of positions in the legislature so that it would have a platform to hold any new government to account.

Mashaba pointed out that the party supported the removal of Gwamanda, and the immediate reversal of the R200 surcharge “heartlessly imposed” by City Power on prepaid users.

He said the party also wanted to produce a series of motions to position the City to turn around key frontline service delivery matters including infrastructure renewal and rejuvenating of the inner City.

Mashaba explained that party’s support would be available to any government in the metro on an issue-by-issue basis, emphasising that this arrangement was not a coalition.

“ActionSA will not enter the executive to co-govern, no coalition agreement will be signed and ActionSA’s support, even for a mayor, will be provided only on the consideration of the merits of the matter,” said Mashaba.

He explained that it was also an arrangement that had no bearing on ActionSA’s involvement in the City of Tshwane, where it remained in a coalition.

Mashaba said that its redefining its role in the City of Johannesburg did not constitute a coalition or co-governing arrangement, but rather a learning from the outcomes of the May 29 general elections.

Mashaba pointed out that it was necessary to affirm that his party’s position as it related to the grand coalition remained unchanged, as a constructive opposition.